Reports, Summaries and Presentations:  Phase 1: Pilot study  Short version Extended version Short version in French Extended version in French Report phase 1  Phase 2: Recommendations for the future Summary of the workshop 25 May 2009 Brussels Presentations workshop 25 May 2009 - Brussels Summary of the workshop 15 October 2009 Paris Presentations workshop 15 October 2009 - Paris Final report Annexes final report

Improving animal health and welfare is a high priority throughout the EU. Due to the complexity involved in dealing with infectious diseases, effective long-term strategies for disease prevention, control and management will require progress in a number of areas, such as movement control, surveillance, epidemiology, diagnosis, vaccines and animal breeding.

Developments in most of these areas depend on good quality data being collected for many animals - quite often the same kind of data. Clearly, much could be gained from developing effective and integrated local, national or international recording systems that could provide data for the differnt uses.

In order to identify the opportunities for developing better collaborations and deriving greater benefits, we first need a good description of all the recording systems that are currently in place. The project aimed at doing just that.

 The importance of improving animal health and welfare
The development of effective systemsfor improving the health and welfare of animals is a high priority throughout Europe and world-wide. Whilst primarily driven by concerns over public health and food safety, it is also a reflection of the high economic cost and levels of animal suffering that many disease outbreaks can cause.

1. To ensure a high level of public health and food safety by minimising the incidence of biological and chemincal risks to humans,
2. To promote animal health by preventing/reducing the incidence of animal diseases, and in this way support farming and the rural economy,
3. To improve economic growth/cohesion/competitiveness assuring free circulation of goods and proportionate animal movements,
4. To promote farming practices and animal welfare which preven animal health related threaths and minimise environmental impacts in support of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy. 

The importance of good recording systems

Effective long term prevention, control and management of livestock diseases are likely to require developments in a number of areas, for example: improved movement control, surveillance, epidemiology, diagnosis, vaccines, treatment and also breeding, which will increase the animal’s own ability to develop resistance or resilience to various infectious challenges. For most of these areas success depends on the collection of good quality data from challenged populations. In many cases, the same data could have a number of uses, which would provide a range of benefits.

 

Increased benefits and reduced overall costs could therefore be achieved by developing effective local, national or even international recording systmes that would provide the data neede for many or all of these different uses

 

Assessing the opportunities

Different countries will typically already have a number of regional or national recording systems in place for collecting data related to animal health (e.g. on farm recording, in abattoirs, veterinary laboratories). It may therefore be possible to develop the recording systems needed by simply improving integration and harmonisation between the current systems. Where data needed for different purposes is not currently recorded, it may be possible to achieve this with relatively little adaptation. Using or adapting current recording schemes where possible, could present enormous cost savings compared to developing new systems!

 

Maintaining stakeholder commitment

A comprehensive recording system will only be a success in the long-term if it has the full commitment of all stakeholders, including livestock and abattoir owners. Making sure that any proposed systems are integrated with any current systems (thus resulting in little additional work), and can provide additional benefits, such as better herds/flock or stock management, will be vital to ensuring the long-terms success. This will be particularly important as the European Commission’s vision for cost sharing becomes more of a reality!

........................................................This project.....................................................

The EADGENE Health Data Comparison Project consists of 3 phases. The pilot study (phase 1) provided an overview of animal health data systems in Denmark, France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The report indicated that, both across Europe and between species, animal health data collection is fragmented and lacks harmonisation. However the study also showed that there are structures and systems in place that contain very valuable information, if it were possible to access and consolidate these data on the European and/or species level. This would create a significant increase in the quantity and quality of the already collected and stored data.   A highly qualified project team of experts was set up, and a detailed work plan for phase 2 was written. Based on the recommendations of phase 1, it was decided to base this phase 2 mainly around two workshops with stakeholders. At the two workshops the knowledge and technical input from experts of different bodies dealing with subjects of animal health data collection on notifiable diseases was communicated in order to create best information amongst participants on existing schemes, esp. on notifiable diseases. Implementation of the recommendations of phase 2 will represent phase 3 of the project.

This study is being conducted as part of the European Animal Disease Genomics Network of Excellence for Animal Health and Food Safety (EADGENE). The main interest is therefore in developing recording systems that can provide data that can be used to improve animal health through breeding. However, we are keen to develop collaborations with groups with other interests since we see the development of good collaborations as being vital for long-term success.