We have already achieved a great deal, for example:the Food Standards Agency has initiated a £20 million "Food Hygiene" awareness and publicity campaign which will incorporate food safety advice on E.coli O157;the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health (SCIEH) has been provided with appropriate additional funding from 2001-02, in order to initiate an enhanced programme of infection and disease surveillance;formal guidance has been issued to the National Reference Laboratory (SERL) restating protocols consistent with task force recommendations;guidance has been issued to water authorities on the need to give particular attention to testing water from high-risk catchment areas for coliforms and E.coli O157;Private Water Supply Regulation: a consultation was issued in November 2001;Guidance on Recreational Use of Animal Pasture, was distributed to relevant organisations in March 2002, andthe Cairns Smith Group has taken account of task force recommendations relevant to outbreak management and published revised guidance in April 2002.The Scottish Executive and the Food Standards Agency(Scotland) will build on those achievements, given the continuing threat posed by E.coli O157 and the many diverse actions proposed by the task force.The Scottish Executive and the Food Standards Agency (Scotland) have today published a joint response to the report of the Task Force on E.coli O157.