Animal Health Law: Europe’s New Weapon in the Fight Against Animal Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance

The European Parliament and the Council adopted the regulation on transmissible animal diseases (Animal Health Law) on March 9, 2016*, based on the Commission’s proposal. This new law on animal health, which will take effect on April 20, paves the way for a more effective joint effort to combat zoonoses. The text consists of 283 articles and will take effect in five years, starting April 21, 2021, in all EU member states.   Diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, bluetongue, avian influenza, and certain emerging diseases have a devastating effect on the animal production sector but also have the potential to affect human health. The new animal health law replaces the complex set of rules that have accumulated over the years with a single, comprehensive framework. Compared to the current system, it provides national authorities with simpler and clearer guidelines so they can focus on the priorities of animal disease control: prevention and eradication. The adopted legislation also clarifies the division of responsibilities among the various stakeholders (government agencies, veterinarians, livestock producers, and other animal health professionals) and establishes better tools for reporting and monitoring epidemics or epizootics in EU countries. The goal is to help them reduce the social and economic consequences of these crises, thereby ensuring the competitiveness and safety of European animal production. The Animal Health Law also recognizes the importance of current challenges, such as antibiotic resistance, and establishes a new legal framework for the surveillance of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens of animal origin, supplementing existing rules. It will be supplemented by two legislative proposals—on veterinary drugs and on medicated feed—currently under negotiation in the European Parliament and the Council. The new legislation also provides for broader use of new technologies for the surveillance of pathogens, electronic identification, and the registration of animals. Early detection and control of animal diseases, including emerging diseases, should help reduce the occurrence and impact of health crises. The rules may also be made more flexible and adapted to local circumstances and emerging phenomena, such as climate change or social change. This animal health law is part of a package of measures proposed by the Commission in May 2013 to strengthen the enforcement of health and safety standards throughout the agri-food chain. It is the most significant measure and the first to receive approval from MEPs. It was also a key element of the 2007–2013 animal health strategy titled “Prevention is Better Than Cure.” The Commission has until April 2019 to make the new rules effective. As part of the process of drafting delegated acts and implementing acts, it will consult with experts, Member States, and other EU stakeholders, with the assistance of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food, and Feed. Its assessment of the new EU regulation must be the subject of a report submitted to the European Parliament and the Council no later than April 22, 2026. The adopted regulation will enter into force on April 20, twenty days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union on March 31. It will apply in all Member States as of April 21, 2021 (except for Article 270(1) and Article 274, which apply as of April 20, 2016**).   * EU regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of March 9, 2016, on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the field of animal health (animal health legislation), published in the Official Journal of the European Union on March 31, 2016, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/FR/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:L:2016:084:FULL&from=FR ** Repeals of Decisions 78/642/EEC, 89/455/EEC, and 90/678/EEC, and Directives 79/110/EEC, 81/6/EEC, 90/423/EEC, 92/36/EEC, and 98/99/EC; Transitional measures related to the date of adoption of certain delegated acts and implementing acts.