Press Release: FMD: Zoo animals to be vaccinated under certain conditions

On 30 March 2001 veterinary experts and experts on zoo animals met at the invitation of the European Commission to discuss the options for protecting rare and endangered species in zoos, including the possibility of vaccination in cases where there was a serious risk of contracting foot and mouth disease (FMD). In the event that a Member State considered it necessary to vaccinate zoo animals, the Commission would take the circumstances into consideration and defend these actions in the relevant international institutions, especially the OIE and in relation to any trade restrictions imposed by third countries on EC exports. The experts considered, with the appropriate safeguards, that zoo animals could be vaccinated without jeopardising the animal health status of a country where such animals are kept under appropriate controlled conditions.