December 1, 2005

EU allocates EUR185 million to eradicate animal diseases including BSE

The EU has allocated EUR185 million to eradicate animal diseases including rabies and mad cow disease, or BSE, within the bloc.

EU Health and Consumer Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said healthy animals were "the key to safe food."

The funds would go towards 129 programmes across the EU, to control, monitor and eradicate animal diseases, including salmonella, scrapie, rabies and BSE.

Higher priority would be given to programmes dealing with diseases that might be transmitted to humans. However, anti-bird flu measures were not included, as the disease has not been found in member states so far, European Commission spokesman, Philip Tod said.

However, he added that the EU had a separate funding for testing and financing for bird flu.