Animal health and welfare

Homepage > Animal health & welfare > Animal disease > Zoonoses

Zoonoses: Implementing enhanced surveillance required under EU Zoonoses Directive 2003/99/EC

New legislation to support surveillance of zoonoses and zoonotic agents in all animals came in to force on 1 October 2007.

The Zoonoses (Monitoring) (England) Regulations 2007 provide Government appointed inspectors with powers of entry to monitor for zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance to zoonotic agents and other agents that pose a threat to public health. These Regulations enhance the monitoring procedures in place to implement the EU Zoonoses Directive 2003/99/EC

Inspectors will have powers of entry to land and premises on which any animal or animal feeding-stuff is or has been present, including private homes.  To inspect and take samples from premises used solely as a residential dwelling, inspectors will have to notify the owner 24 hours in advance or have a warrant authorising entry to the premises.

The overriding aim of the proposed legislation is to provide Government with the best tools possible to be able to investigate and monitor sources of known zoonotic diseases and uncover as early as possible significant new and emerging issues so that appropriate action can be taken to protect public health and support healthy and profitable animal populations.

Before any new monitoring programme takes place there is a need to identify potential hazards that require further investigation. Defra officials will take expert advice from appropriate bodies to ensure that suitable surveillance methods are adopted.  Such bodies would include

  • the Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) group for emerging human health issues;
  • the Defra Antimicrobial Resistance Coordination (DARC) group for issues relating to anti-microbial resistance; and
  • the Advisory Committee for Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) (through the FSA) for issues relating to food.

Defra will also need to formally consult with Natural England when any sampling involving wild animals is proposed. Natural England is expected to address concerns about possible impacts of proposed sampling on target wildlife populations and, as appropriate, on other wildlife populations that may be indirectly affected by sampling. Natural England may make recommendations for changing the surveillance proposals to negate or mitigate negative impacts. 

Consultation on the implementation of EU Directive 2003/99/EC - the Zoonoses (Monitoring) Regulations 2006

Views were sought on a draft Statutory Instrument, (SI) the Zoonoses (Monitoring) Regulations 2006 (‘The Monitoring SI’), which would be the means by which EU Directive 2003/99/EC on the monitoring of zoonoses and zoonotic agents (‘The Zoonoses Directive’) would be implemented in England. Implementation of the Directive is being considered separately in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This consultation closed on the 27 October 2006.

 

 

Page last modified: October 2, 2007

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs