The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Helsinki is looking for information from other European countries on private clinics, enterprises, slaughterhouses, farms etc. that potentially take interns.

Two weeks ago the portfolio responsibilities for the next Commission (2009-2014) were announced by José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.

Following the surveillance document on the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus in pigs, a second document on surveillance in poultry has now been endorsed by the Member States during the meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health on 30 November. 

The National Society of Technical Veterinary Organisations (SNGTV) for French veterinarians has developed a good practice guide for antibiotic use.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has launched on 18 November an 8-point plan for the responsible use of antimicrobials in veterinary practice.

The new Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 of 24 September 2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing was now published. You can access the complete document at the following link: pdf

A joint scientific opinion on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) focused on infections transmitted to humans from animals and food (zoonoses) was recently published by EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control), EMEA (European Medicines Agency) and SCENIHR (European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks).

As announced in the FVE September Newsletter, FVE applied for membership of the Stakeholders Consultative Platform of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Following the feasibility study on ‘Animal Welfare Labelling’ (Part 1) and ‘Community Reference Centre’ (Part 2), a report outlining a series of options for animal welfare labeling was adopted on 28 October and published by the European Commission.

‘Evolving veterinary education for a safer world’ was the name of a global conference held by the OIE from12 to 14 October in Paris.

In October 2009 the Farm animal welfare council (FAWC) published a new report about the effectiveness of British policy on farm animal welfare since 1965, and looks forward over the next twenty years.

The 14th ICPD will be organized in June 2010 in the medieval city center of Ghent (Belgium).

A regional FVE - TAIEX conference co-organised by the Veterinary Administration and Chamber of Montenegro took place on 20 October about “One health” in Becici, Montenegro.

On 1st October a meeting of the Management Board of the European Medicine Agency (EMEA) took place in London. Henk Vaarkamp (NL) attended on behalf of FVE.

The outcome of the Welfare Quality® project and a vision on animal welfare in the future and in an international perspective was discussed during a meeting on 8 and 9 October in Uppsala, Sweden.

The Swedish EU Presidency is focusing currently on the need to develop new pharmaceuticals against infectious diseases. Especially the decreasing efficacy of antibacterials makes research for new drugs inevitable.

The Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) recently published the report of an audit in Belgium in March 2009.

On 23 September, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) scientists held a meeting with stakeholders to exchange ‘views on the welfare implications linked to the genetic selection in broilers, and welfare aspects related to the management and housing of broiler breeders’.

Within the framework of the ‘EU Veterinary week 2009’ an Influenza conference will take place on Friday 30 October 2009 in Brussels.

The Ig Nobels are awarded since 1991 each October from Oslo and Stockholm and are presented at a ceremony at Harvard for ‘research that makes people laugh as well as think’. The categories awarded are: Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Literature, Mathematics, Medicine, Peace, Physics, Public Health, and Veterinary Medicine.

The successful kick-off event of the 2009 Veterinary Week took place in Brussels on 28 September under the title "Animals + Humans = ONE HEALTH".

The final TRACE conference will take place at Autoworld in Brussels on 2-3 December 2009.

This autumn is the first "term" for newly elected MEPs with 6 plenary parliamentary sessions being held between now and Christmas. MEPs will vote on the candidacy of Commission President Barroso and will have to approve the entire new Commission. A poll in Ireland on the Lisbon treaty and the Copenhagen climate summit will also hold their attention.

The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has recently published on its website the procedure for classification of a veterinary medicinal product as intended for Minor Use Minor Species (MUMS)/Limited Markets (EMEA/429080/09). An additional guidance document (EMEA/CVMP/370663/09) addresses frequently asked questions.

Chilean authorities informed OIE and the European Commission last week about an outbreak of the pandemic influenza A/H1N1 virus 2009 in breeding turkeys in two holdings, owned by the same company in the Valparaiso region.

A recently published UK report with the title ‘Unlocking Potential - A report on veterinary expertise in food animal production’ summarises the on-going discussion on the challenges that face farm animal veterinary practices and discusses whether there is sufficient food animal veterinary expertise in Great Britain.

FVE will be promoting rabies prevention awareness and education by celebrating the third annual World Rabies Day on September 28, 2009.

ESFA is currently organizing a technical meeting on animal welfare aspects of genetic selection in broilers and broiler breeders. The meeting will take place on 23 September 2009 in Brussels and is part of a public consultation.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can e.g. be plants or animals, whose genetic characteristics were modified in order to give them a new property.

The 3rd annual Nanotechnology "Safety for Success" Dialogue Workshop will take place on Tuesday, 3rd and Wednesday, 4th November 2009 in Brussels. 

DG Sanco is currently celebrating the 30th year of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).

In its first meeting after the elections, the FVE Board of Directors re-appointed Stephen Ware (UK) as FVE treasurer. Christophe Buhot (FR) was appointed as the vice-president to act on behalf of the president in his absence.  During the meeting, which took place on 9 and 10 July in Leuven/Belgium, specific portfolios were allocated to each of the Board members.

Following the French translation of the ‘Veterinary Act’ (see FVE News 9 March 2009) you will now also find the French translation of the ‘Code of Conduct’ on the FVE website.

The European Commission has recently published a ‘Working document on surveillance and control measures for the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus in pigs’. The document provides guidance to the competent authorities in the Member States and asks for appropriate testing capacity in the veterinary laboratories.

During the last FVE Board meeting on 9 and 10 July in Leuven/Belgium, the FVE Board agreed on the composition of the renewed Working Group on animal transport.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published two opinions of the Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) earlier this week: “Food Safety aspects of dairy cow housing and husbandry systems” and “Food Safety considerations concerning the species-specific welfare aspects of the main systems of stunning and killing of farmed fish”.

In a recent court case the European Court of Justice has declared that by not having adopted all the measures necessary to remedy the shortage of staff assigned to the services responsible for veterinary controls in Greece, the country failed to fulfill its obligations under Article 4(2)(c) of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council on official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules.

Prof. Dr. Henk Vaarkamp (NL), appointed member of the EMEA Management Board, reports on his 2nd attendance at an EMEA Management Board meeting.

Currently there is no evidence suggesting that the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus behaves in pigs in a different way from the other classical influenza viruses of pigs.

The BVA Animal Welfare Foundation, established in 1984 by the British Veterinary Association, is the veterinary profession’s own animal welfare charity in the UK. Its principal aim is ‘to apply the knowledge, skill and compassion of veterinary surgeons in an effective way by funding a variety of projects and activities’.

The Agriculture Council, which met yesterday and today (22 and 23 June) in Luxembourg, reached a political agreement (see explanation below) on the proposal for a Council Regulation on the protection of animals at the time of killing. This proposal aims at revising the legislation in force (Directive 93/119/EC). For more information see page 10 of the Council press release: LINK

The scope of the draft ‘novel food’ Regulation and the definition of novel food have been clarified during the Agriculture Council meeting on 22 June in Luxembourg.

EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), ECDC (European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) and EMEA (European Medicines Agency) have published a joint Scientific Report on meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in livestock, pets and foods on 16 June.

In 2005 the FVE Cascade explaining how veterinary medicinal products can be used and setting out the current rules and regulations in a visual way had been published. Questions like: “Am I allowed to use a human product in cattle and/or horses? How long do I need to keep records, and what must they contain?” were answered.

FVE is happy to announce that in the recent FVE spring General Assembly in Stockholm (22-23 May) the Board for the 2009-2011 term was elected.

The EU Veterinary Week 2009 "One Health" Conference will be held on Monday 28 September 2009 in "The Cellars of Cureghem" in Brussels.

FVE has reported earlier on the FAO initiative on 'Capacity Building to Implement Good Animal Welfare Practices' (see FVE News January 27, 2009). As a result of this initiative FAO has now launched a new internet portal on farm animal welfare.

FVE Vice President Ljiljana Markuš-Cizelj, who is handling the TAIEX dossier within the FVE Board of Directors, welcomes the approval of two veterinary conferences in Bulgaria and Montenegro by TAIEX.

The Council of Europe's 'Working Group on the Protection of Farm Animals' will start expert groups on Cod, Turbot, Tuna and Arctic Charr.

The European Commission is offering free copies of its 'Travelling in Europe' leaflet for display in waiting rooms.

The Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) carried out a mission in Greece on 24-27 November 2008 with the objective to evaluate a proposed Border Inspection Post (BIP) against the relevant requirements of EU legislation (with a view to its listing in Commission Decision 2001/881/EC).

In its plenary session in Strasbourg on 5 May the European Parliament (EP) reached an agreement on the amendments to the European Commissions plans for updating European Directive 86/609, which regulates the use of animals in research and testing.

The European Parliament adopted this week in its plenary the final opinion on the draft slaughter Regulation.

The European Parliament (EP) voted on 5 May to ban most seal products from the European market. The vote was immediately followed by a statement of the Commission, saying it welcomes the vote by the EP confirming the first reading agreement reached between Council and Parliament. EC press release.

Presumably originating from Mexico, but having spread already to the US, Canada and some European countries the so called "swine flu" is causing increased global concerns.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published an opinion on the public health significance of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in animals and food. The opinion had been delivered by the EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) with contribution from the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) and was adopted on 5 March.

Speakers from British Universities and Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens discussed on 3 April 2009 in Birmingham with the interested audience possible consequences for the UK after the derogations from the Pet Travel Scheme - which are currently in place for the UK, Ireland, Sweden and Malta - will phase out in 2010.

This year the 'World Veterinary Day', an initiative of the World Veterinary Association, will be celebrated on 25 April.

Prof. Dr. Henk Vaarkamp (NL), who had been appointed member of the EMEA Management Board on 18 December 2008 (see also FVE Newsletter February 2009), kindly provided a report of his first attendance to an EMEA Management Board meeting on 4-5 March in London to FVE.

As presented by Romano Zilli (IT) during the FVE Hanover General Assembly, EMIDA ERA-NET is a European project aimed at coordinating research regarding emerging diseases and major infectious diseases of production animals, including fish and bees.

The European Commission recently adopted a new Regulation on the introduction of animal products by travelers into the EU. It will enter into force on 1 May 2009 and replace the current rules.

Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Union has just released a report on the "Prospects for Agricultural Markets and Income in the European Union 2008-2015".

The Veterinary Record (published by the British Veterinary Association) recently reported a decision of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Disciplinary Committee regarding fraudulent registration of a veterinarian (Vet Rec. 2009; 164:286).

The European Union's research magazine "research*eu" is published ten times per year (available in English, French, German and Spanish) and is edited by the Communication Unit of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research.

The 'Veterinary Act' had been adopted at the FVE general assembly in Vienna in June 2008. This document clearly defines the role of the veterinarian, outlining tasks and responsibilities that should be the preserve of the veterinary profession in Europe.

A workshop on Salmonella control in pigs took place on 26 February in Brussels. The meeting was opened by K. Van Dyck - acting head of Unit Sanco E2, dealing with food hygiene, alert system and training - and about 150 participants listened to speaker from DG Sanco, EFSA, national food safety authorities and institutes (from UK, NL, DK, SE and FR) as well as contractors working for the EC and EFSA, and stakeholder organisations (J. Dahl for different associations).

Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Animal Health and Welfare Panel (AHAW) was asked to deliver a Scientific Opinion on the animal welfare aspects of husbandry systems for farmed fish.

The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) published a statement on 4 March on bluetongue serotypes 6 and 11, presenting results on surveillance and other investigations.

A seminar with the title "Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as zoonoses - current developments" took place on 6 February at the Veterinary School of Hanover/Germany.

Since July 2004 the conditions for the non-commercial movement of pet animals have become harmonised under Regulation (EC) 998/2003.

Veterinary education is facing new challenges and needs to continually evolve to meet societal demands in the field of food security, food safety, public health and animal welfare.

The Alliance for Rabies Control is a non-profit organisation who's mission it is to prevent human rabies deaths and to alleviate the burden of rabies in animal species by raising awareness, supporting rabies control programs and promoting educational initiatives.

Two new FVE publications were just released: 'Real Veterinarians don't wear helmets?' and 'Can your food kill?'.

The European Journal of Companion Animal Practice (EJCAP) - official jounal of FECAVA, the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations - recently published its new special issue on 'Zoonotic diseases' (December 2008).

The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations) organised an Expert Meeting from 30 September to 3 October 2008 in Rome on the importance of animal welfare practices for the benefits of both people and their animals.

Eurogroup for Animals will be filing a complaint of maladministration against the European Commission with the European Ombudsman.

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced on January 15 that it is modifying the list of EU products subject to additional duties in connection with World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement rulings in the EU-Beef Hormones dispute.

The FVE position paper on pig castration (FVE/01/083) dates from 2001 already. Much scientific progress has been made in this area especially during the last years and also the consumer is much more aware of welfare problems arising from castration without anesthesia and/or pain medication.

DG Sanco of the European Commission is organising two workshops on the training in animal welfare at slaughter, in killing for disease control purposes and during transport. The training is mainly aimed at Official Veterinarians ensuring animal welfare and those involved in developing best practices to improve application of European and international standards. Participants will come from EU Member States, candidate countries and invited third countries.

The summary report of the Animal Health Advisory Committee held on 3 November 2008 was recently published on the web. The first item on the agenda of this meeting had been the Veterinary Week, presented by Emma Soto and Bruno Gautrais from DG Sanco.