EU to change rules on disease
The European Commission wants to move from a policy of financing losses in disease outbreaks to one of financing prevention.
This will be the main change in a new Animal Health Law to be proposed next year by EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy John Dalli.
“I hope that this proposal will be adopted in time for the post-2013 decision on agri-financial arrangements,” said Mr Dalli, addressing the All Island Animal Health and Welfare Conference in Co Cavan last Monday. One of his objectives is to “save much heavier expenditure to combat disease outbreaks”.
“We should also consider how the financing of such programmes is to be shared fairly between the principal players, farmers, member states and the EU institutions,” he said.
Mr Dali said geographical isolation will help Ireland achieve high animal health status, but warned that intra-EU trade rules should apply equally in all member states, and that an island is not as protected from cross-border pathogens as in the past, in this age of increased movements of people and goods.
He had some good news for Irish pig farmers, announcing that Ireland has achieved official recognition of our Aujeszky’s disease control and eradication status.
Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith said this was a very significant checkpoint towards Ireland’s objective of officially eradicating Aujeszky’s disease from the national pig herd.
Ireland is moving forward with Phase 3 of the control and eradication programme, and herd owners will receive test notifications in the coming weeks.
Mr Smith said elimination of Aujeszky’s disease from the national pig herds would be of significant benefit to the whole Irish pig sector by recognising the health standard of the national herd, and by protecting our access to export markets.
