UK plans to tackle bovine TB and other animal diseases earmarked for £23.6m of EU funds

The vast bulk of the money (€31m/£22.8m) is earmarked for dealing with bovine TB
The vast bulk of the money (€31m/£22.8m) is earmarked for dealing with bovine TB

The EU has made available more than €32m (£23.6m) to UK programmes to help eliminate animal diseases and zoonoses* and strengthen protection of human and animal health.

The EU co-financing will help tackle avian influenza in poultry and wild birds, bovine tuberculosis, salmonella and transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. The vast bulk of the money (€31m/£22.8m) is earmarked for dealing with bovine TB, including testing of herds, compensation for farmers, as well as the purchase of vaccines for badgers.

The four UK programmes are among 130 selected from across the EU approved for some €161 million (£119m) of co-financing this year.

The EU breakdown includes:

• bovine tuberculosis (about €62 million / £46);

• transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (about €12 million / £9m);

• rabies (€26 million); Salmonellosis (about €17 million / £12.5m);

• bovine brucellosis (about €10 million / £7.4m);

• classical swine fever (€2.5 million / £1.8m);

• avian influenza (€2 million / £1.5m).

Given the serious impact animal disease outbreaks can have not only on human health, but also the economy and trade, this year's allocation of EU co-financing will assist national authorities to continue to put in place precautionary measures, disease surveillance and eradication programmes.

EU co-financing has resulted in a continuous improvement of animal health as well as a decrease in the number of human cases of various zoonotic diseases, such as salmonellosis (from 151,292 cases in 2007 down to 80,677 cases in 2014). Similar success has also been seen for brucellosis and other zoonotic diseases.

Co-funded programmes for oral vaccination against rabies in wild animals have also been very successful with the EU achieving a level of rabies eradication not experienced anywhere else before. The total number of EU cases of rabies in wild animals decreased significantly from 814 in 2007 to just 216 cases in 2014, together with very few human cases reported.

* Zoonoses are infections or diseases that can be transmitted directly or indirectly between animals and humans, for instance by consuming contaminated foodstuffs or through contact with infected animals. The severity of diseases in humans can vary from mild to life-threatening conditions.

Click here to read the report 'Guidelines for Union co-funded programmes of eradication, control & surveillance of animal diseases'