The European Union earmarked on 12 October more than 250 million Euro to further strengthen the protection of human and animal health and support programmes to eradicate, control and monitor animal diseases in 2011. More than half of the total sum will be used to finance programmes to eradicate 8 important animal diseases.

Member States endorsed the financial package to combat animal deseases proposed by the European Commission during the meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH). The 138 annual or multi-annual programmes, which have been selected for EU funding, will tackle animal diseases that impact both human and animal health.

For the year 2011, 60 annual or multi-annual programmes to eradicate 8 important animal diseases will be granted Community financial support. The total EU contribution to these programmes will be around 135 million Euro.

Within this budget, diseases that might be transmitted to humans have been prioritised. Significant sums will be spent on the eradication of brucellosis, tuberculosis and rabies. For tuberculosis, 16 million Euro is allocated to Ireland, 23 million Euro to the UK, 7.5 million Euro to Italy and 15 million Euro for Spain.

Following the success of the programmes in recent years, which have virtually eradicated rabies in the western part of the EU, most of the activity in 2011 will be focused towards the Member States in the eastern part of the continent and also includes some actions in Ukraine and Belarus. 24 million Euro are allocated to rabies eradication in 12 Member States. Rabies is spread by infected wildlife and the programmes aim at producing immunity in the wildlife by orally vaccinating them with baits containing vaccine.

The reported cases of salmonellosis in humans continue to decline. In 2011, over 23 million Euro is allocated to control zoonotic salmonella in breeding and laying hens and in broilers (Gallus gallus) and turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in all 27 Member States.

Avian influenza surveillance and TSE programmes

Member States will also continue to carry out surveillance for avian influenza in poultry and wild birds in 2011 with financial assistance from the EU towards laboratory testing and wild birds sampling costs. About 3.6 million Euro are being made available from the EU budget. This surveillance is the most effective way to detect early outbreaks of both high and low pathogenic influenzas and was extremely useful in previous years.

The overall trend in combating Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) is positive and is improving year by year due to a good implementation of the monitoring and eradication programmes in most Member States. The Commission has agreed to make more than 86 million Euro available from the EU budget to assist Member States in the monitoring of TSEs, and for BSE eradication and compulsory Scrapie eradication measures.

Reference Laboratories

SCoFCAH also endorsed another Commission proposal to allocate in 2011 14 million Euro to finance a network of European Union Reference Laboratories in the animal health and food safety area. As highlighted in 2008 Commission Decision on financial aid to reference laboratories in animal health and human safety, these laboratories act as reference points for the Commission and Member States and are essential elements in the EU policy to ensure a high level of animal health and food safety throughout the European Union.

The laboratories offer specialised advice in areas of animal health, food safety and residues. They also co-ordinate Laboratories in the Member States and ensure high standards by carrying out comparative trials on testing methods and standards.