As part of the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Belgian federal Deputy Prime Minister for Agriculture, David Clarinval, and the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, are organising a ministerial conference this Wednesday 24 January on the theme “biosecurity and vaccination: essential tools for the prevention, control and eradication of animal diseases”. This theme is one of Minister Clarinval's priorities for this Belgian presidency.
The conference, held in Brussels, brings together representatives of governments, institutions and stakeholders. The conference's main aim is to highlight the importance of a preventive approach, in which biosecurity and vaccination are decisive tools in the fight against the spread of animal diseases.
This is a particularly important issue in Europe. For several years now, the poultry sector has been threatened worldwide by the circulation of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, which is behind a large number of outbreaks in the European Union in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and France.
Belgium has not escaped the epidemics caused by this virus either. From autumn 2020 to spring 2023, 32 outbreaks were recorded in professional farms and 24 outbreaks among private individuals. Four further outbreaks were added at the end of 2023.
Today, the main measure taken to combat the virus is the slaughter of contaminated poultry to prevent the virus spreading to other farms. This practice is very costly, represents significant food waste and has a major economic impact given the obstacles it creates in trade with third countries. In addition, there are the psychosocial repercussions for farmers, who are confronted with public disagreement over mass culling.
During the discussions, particular attention will be paid to two diseases: African swine fever and highly pathogenic avian influenza, two diseases that are very important for our farmers, with highly pathogenic avian influenza also having a significant potential for transmission to humans and other animal species.
This event will thus provide an opportunity to highlight progress and prospects regarding vaccination against highly pathogenic avian influenza and African swine fever, and to recall the importance of complying with biosecurity measures.
“I wanted to make animal health one of the priorities of the Belgian presidency in the field of agriculture. We must work to promote preventive measures such as biosecurity and vaccination in animal production. I am convinced that these two additional tools must become the pillars of preventive strategies in order to prevent the introduction of infectious diseases into farms, the spread of infectious agents, and the mass culling of animals causing economic and social disasters.” - David Clarinval
Dr Chantal Rettigner, FASFC - Head of the Belgian Veterinary Services: “The FASFC, as the body responsible for implementing control and disease-fighting measures, is on the front line in observing on the ground that prevention, based on the application of strict biosecurity measures, and vaccination are key tools in the fight against animal diseases, particularly given the increased risk linked to climate change. Belgium has introduced an annual assessment of the level of biosecurity on pig and poultry farms via a computer application. The importance of vaccination and the need for effective, safe and authorised vaccines is also particularly topical for various epizootic diseases such as avian flu, African swine fever, bluetongue serotype 3 and epizootic haemorrhagic disease, which many countries are facing, in order to reduce the risk and consequences.”
Speakers: David Clarinval (Belgian federal Minister of Agriculture), Claire Bury (Deputy Director General), Monique Eloit (DG WOAH), Bernard Van Goethem (European Commission, DG Health, Director for Food, Animal and Plant Crisis), Dr Mary Jane Ireland (Chief Veterinary Officer, Canada), Prof. Jeroen Dewulf (Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology at Ghent University), Dr Chantal Rettigner (FASFC, Head of the Belgian Veterinary Services), Dr Della Marta (Head of the Italian Veterinary Services), Dr Emmanuelle Soubeyran (Head of the French Veterinary Services), Prof. Ian H. Brown OBE (Scientific Director at the Animal and Plant Health Agency), Barbara Logar (European Commission, DG Health), Ir. Herman Diricks (Managing Director of the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain), Dr Thiry Etienne (Virologist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Liège), Prof. Frank Verdonck (Director of the Biological Hazards & Animal Health and Welfare Unit BIOHAW at the European Food Safety Authority EFSA), Jean-Michel Schaeffer (Chair of the “poultry” working group of COPA COGECA).