Press Release: EU emergency veterinary team to be established

The European Commission has adopted a Decision to establish an emergency veterinary team, to provide the support of European experts if needed to respond rapidly to animal disease outbreaks in the EU and third countries. The team will be made up of animal health experts who are available at short notice to assist with major outbreaks of certain diseases, such as avian influenza, bluetongue and foot-and-mouth disease. When necessary, members of the team will be sent to the affected Member State or third country, to provide technical assistance and to work with local authorities in bringing the disease situation under control. The team will also collaborate closely with experts from international organisations, such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and International Office of Epizootics (OIE). The Decision to create this emergency veterinary team has been endorsed by Member States in the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health. The establishment of the team formalises a support structure which has existed for many years and has been used for example in assisting Turkey and Romania in tackling avian influenza outbreaks last year.