Fighting disease

As part of a review of its animal health strategy, due in the coming weeks, the European Commission is to examine some of the rules and practices on combating animal diseases.

The strategy - set out in the Commission’s ‘Communication on the Community Animal Health Policy Strategy (2007-13)’ - will, according to a Commission official, be amended to take into account changes in thinking since the outbreak of major diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease and avian influenza. The Commission hopes that the strategy will ensure a co-ordinated response to disease prevention and eradication that will meet the concerns of interested groups, including farmers, consumers, environmental groups and governments.

The strategy has been prompted by the outbreak of new diseases, by the increased volume in trade in live animals, by EU enlargement, which has seen 12 new member states join the Union since May 2004 and by technological and scientific developments.

Some of the issues which Copa-Cogeca, the European farmers’ association, hopes will be included in the strategy include giving farmers a greater say in the prevention and eradication of diseases. Involving them in the process would increase the speed and efficiency with which diseases are treated, says Stanislav Jas, a policy adviser at Copa-Cogeca. Last year’s outbreak of bluetongue disease saw a greater involvement of farmers which helped address the problem more efficiently, he says. But the Commission official points out that while the role of an advisory committee on which farmers are already represented will become more important, they will not be given a place on a committee of national veterinary experts which make decisions concerning outbreaks.

Farmers would like to see a more regional approach to diseases, which can vary in strain from one part of the EU to another when there is an outbreak. Again the bluetongue experience of the past year has shown the importance of altering the strategy to address this point. The Commission official says a regional emphasis will probably be included in the strategy.

The farmers also want to see adjustments made to measures of disease control when the diseases are no longer a serious threat. BSE, or mad cow disease, may have been a major problem some years back, but with practices changed and the threat reduced, stringent controls and checks should be eased, says Jas.

Farmers are concerned that there could be a reduction in EU financing for the prevention and fight against diseases. "The budget could be decreased because BSE is not so important anymore, but it is important to be ready for new disease outbreaks," says Jas.

The Commission official said that this year’s budget of €340 million was not expected to change significantly next year but acknowledged that it could become a point of controversy.

As part of a review of its animal health strategy, due in the coming weeks, the European Commission is to examine some of the rules and practices on combating animal diseases.