September 26, 2007

Disease outbreaks push EU to implement new animal health strategy

The European Commission is bent on implementing the Community Animal Health Policy, a new strategy designed to prevent serious impacts that disease outbreaks have brought, such as in the United Kingdom with the foot-and-mouth-disease.

An executive from the Commission said EU will put greater focus on precautionary measures, disease surveillance, controls and research in order to reduce the incidence of animal disease and minimize the impact of outbreaks when they occur.

EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou explained that Europeans are more aware than ever of animal health problems such as foot and mouth, avian influenza, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and its impact on the society.

Kyprianou said EU is set to spend 338 million euros this year and will rise to 450 million euros until 2013.

The commission's new strategy now goes to the European Parliament and the bloc's 27 member nations. They are expected to react before the start of next year. Any new legislation, if required, is expected to be introduced in 2009.

The measure, which was based on "preventive approach," aims to increase biosecurity at the border on EU-27's farms and for animals during transit, the commission said. The strategy also plans to beef up disease monitoring and strengthen emergency preparedness, it said. The EU-27 is the world's largest importer of agricultural and livestock products.