Official animal health programmes

EU funded animal health programmes

According to Regulation (EU) No 652/2014, EU grants may be awarded to annual or multiannual national programmes for the eradication, control and surveillance of a list of animal diseases and zoonoses (listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 652/2014).

More information and the detailed programmes can be found on the DG SANTE website.

Currently Belgium has an EU-funded veterinary programme for the following diseases:

Avian influenza

The official monitoring programme consists of:

In wild birds:
- Passive monitoring: surveillance of abnormal mortalities and analyses;
- Active monitoring: sampling during hunting / ringing activities.
In poultry holdings :
- Passive monitoring: mandatory tests in case of suspicion (clinical symptoms, increase of mortality, decrease in production, decrease of water and food intake);
- Active monitoring: risk-based serological screening.

Salmonella

Zoonotic Salmonella in poultry

The targeted serotypes in the official programme are:

For breeders:
- S. Enteritidis;
- S. Typhimurium;
- S. Infantis;
- S. Hadar;
- S. Virchow;
- S. Paratyphi B var. Java.

For laying hens:
- S. Enteritidis;
- S. Typhimurium.
For broilers and meat turkeys:
- All serotypes.

The official monitoring programme consists of an official sampling:

In breeders:
- Rearing: as day-old chicks and at the age of 4 and 16 weeks;
- Production: every 2 weeks.
In layers:
- Rearing: as day-old chicks and at the age of 16 weeks;
- Production : every 15 weeks;
In broilers and meat turkeys:
- As day-old chicks;
- On farm in the last 3 weeks before slaughter.

The vaccination policy consists of a compulsory vaccination against S. Enteritidis (breeders and layers). Furthermore, it is strongly recommended to vaccinate against S. Typhimurium (breeders and layers).

For a general presentation on poultry diseases and the sanitary status of the poultry population in Belgium, see the following presentation.

Bluetongue

The official monitoring programme is carried out during winter and consists of the random sampling of young non-vaccinated animals to detect a possible re-emergence of the virus (antibody ELISA) according to European guidelines.

Furthermore a PCR-analysis for the bluetongue-virus is carried out on every instance of clinical suspicion or in the case of abortion of malformed fetuses, as foreseen in the abortion protocol

The vaccination policy consists of a voluntary vaccination (since 1 January 2011) authorised with inactivated vaccine.

Since 2016 a preventive vaccination programme is carried out subsequent to the re-emergence of BTV8 in France.

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE)

The official monitoring programme consists of an official sampling:

In bovines:
- Healthy slaughtered bovines > 30 months of age, born in Romania, Bulgaria and 3^rd countries;
- All ‘at risk animals’ (fallen stock, emergency slaughtered animals)
  - > 48 months of age, born in the EU-26 (EU with the exception of Romania and Bulgaria);
  - > 24 months of age, born in Romania, Bulgaria and 3^rd countries.
- All clinically suspected animals > 12 months of age.
In ovines:
- At random sampling of 1.500 fallen stock animals > 18 months of age, every year.
- At random genotyping of 520 animals, every year.
In caprines
- At random sampling of 500 fallen stock animals > 18 months of age, every year.

Antimicrobial resistance

Belgium also has an official programme for the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

More information on the measures at EU-level can be found on the website of DG SANTE.

National animal health programmes

Abortion protocol

The main goal of this programme is to achieve a global epidemiological surveillance of the bovine, ovine and caprine population.

Method & funding of the programme:

The collection, the transportation and the autopsy of aborted fetuses and matrices from the mother animal (blood, afterbirth, vaginal swab) by the Regional Veterinary Laboratories (financed by the FASFC).
Analysis for the detection of brucellosis, BVDV (only bovines) and, if specific malformations of aborted fetuses are observed, Bluetongue and Schmallenberg virus, are financed by the FASFC.
Analysis of a number of other abortive pathogens such as IBR, Neospora caninum, Q fever, toxoplasma, Listeria… can be added and are financed by the farmer.
The farm visit and services of the veterinarian are financed by the Belgian Sanitary Fund (only bovines).

The abortion protocol is a “win–win system” for both veterinary authority and farmer:

The veterinary authority gets a general idea about circulating pathogens capable of introducing abortions to Belgian holdings, carries out early detection of new (re-)emerging cases and can prove freedom of certain diseases such as brucellosis.
The farmer receives information on specific problems at herd/animal level regarding different diseases and is stimulated to start an eradication program against some diseases (e.g. Neospora caninum, BVDV, IBR,…). Furthermore, this programme stimulates farmers to respect biosecurity and other measures to prevent the entry of disease.

Presentation on the Belgian abortion protocol:

(2016-12-06_abortion protocol.pfd)

Winter campaign

The main goal of this programme is to achieve a global epidemiological surveillance of the bovine population. The programme enables the detection of new cases if re-emergence and to prove and maintain the official bovine brucellosis-, tuberculosis- and leucosis-free status of Belgium.

Method & funding of the programme:

Tests for the detection of brucellosis and enzootic bovine leukosis, by means of:
- Follow up during 3 successive years from all animals introduced into Belgium from “at risk” Member States.
- Follow up of all former outbreaks and surrounding farms.
- Follow up of all farms having non-conforming results for analyses carried out in the framework of the abortion protocol or tank milk analyses in the past year.
- At random selection of farms that did not provide notification of any abortions with sampling of 20 cows aged > 24 months per selected farm.
Tests for the detection of bovine tuberculosis, by means of:
- Follow up during 3 successive years from all animals introduced into Belgium from “at risk” Member States.
- Follow up of all (former) outbreaks, in contact farms and surrounding farms.
- Follow up of farms with on farm sale of milk (products).
Cross-sectional study to determine the presence of other pathogens such as Bluetongue, … by means of:
- At random selection of farms with sampling of animals, from different age categories per selected farm.
The farm visit and services of the veterinarian are financed by the Belgian Animal Health Fund. The analyses are financed by the FASFC.

Purchase protocol

This protocol consists of a tuberculosis skin test of all bovines purchased (both national & trade) and a blood sampling for analysis on brucellosis and leukosis of all bovines purchased from “at risk” Member States (these are the EU Member States that are not listed in Commission Decision 2003/467/EC establishing the official tuberculosis, brucellosis, and enzootic bovine leucosis free status of certain Member States and regions of Member States as regards bovine herds).

IBR programme

The compulsory, EU-approved programme to eradicate infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) has been in place since 2012. This programme is based on the attribution of 4 different health statuses to bovine farms:

I.1: blocked farm & blocked animals
- no pasture allowed
- only slaughtering allowed
I2: not certified ‘free’ - compulsory vaccination
I3: ‘free’ - voluntary vaccination
I4: officially ‘free’ - no vaccination allowed

For more details, see the following presentation on IBR:

(2016-05_IBR.pdf)

BVD programme

The compulsory programme to eradicate bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) has been in place since 1 January 2015 and consists of:

Testing of all newborn calves by means of sampling an ear notch when tagging
Attributing a status to the mother, based on the test result of the calf
BVD-immunotolerant animals are blocked
- The mother is sampled for laboratory analysis
- No pasture is allowed for positive animals
- Mandatory slaughter or euthanasia of positive animals
Non BVD-immunotolerant animals are given the status ‘free’
Vaccination is authorized and a delegation of performing the vaccinations to the farmer is possible

For a general presentation on bovine diseases and the health status of the bovine population in Belgium, see the following presentation:

(2016-05_BOVINE_diseases.pdf)

Aujeszky’s disease programme

The Aujeszky’s disease monitoring programme consists of:

A ban on vaccination since 1 January 2011
An official monitoring programme based on sampling of:
- All holdings that produce breeding pigs and all holdings with outdoor pigs: 3 times a year sampling of 12 breeding pigs and 12 fattening pigs per holding,
- All other holdings: once a year sampling of 12 breeding pigs and 12 fattening pigs per holding.

For more details on pig diseases and the health status of the porcine population in Belgium, see the following presentation:

(2016-05_PIG diseases.pdf)

Mycoplasma Gallisepticum programme

There is an official serological monitoring programme, approved by the European Commission in the framework of Council Directive 158/2009/EC, for the detection of Mycoplasma Gallisepticum in breeding chickens, layers destined for EU-trade or export and turkeys and of Mycoplasma Meleagridis in breeder turkeys.

This programme consists of:

Sampling 2 weeks before movement to the laying unit;
Sampling of breeding chickens and layers at 22 weeks;
Sampling of turkeys at 34 weeks;
Further sampling every 12 weeks.

Salmonella pullorum/gallinarum

Within the official programme, breeders are monitored:

At hatchery: every three months;
On farm:
- chickens at 22 weeks;
- turkeys at 34 weeks;
- other species: once during production.

There is no official vaccination policy in place.