In the field of animal health, the situation in France has improved considerably over the past 50 years, with the eradication of brucellosis, foot-and-mouth disease, Newcastle disease, porcine cysticercosis or classical swine fever. From now on, the diseases responsible for the most deadly epizootics, as well as the major zoonoses, can be considered as globally under control in our country.
However, other diseases persist, causing heavy economic losses on farms and serious health crises. In addition, old diseases from which France is free are more or less likely to re-emerge. The control of animal diseases is therefore a major problem for the public authorities.
Following the 2010 Health General Assembly, the Agency was contacted by the Ministry of Agriculture on the prioritization of infectious and parasitic animal diseases present on metropolitan territory for species of ruminants, pigs, poultry, rabbits and equines, the proceeds of which were intended to scientifically inform the ministry in its animal disease categorization program.
Once again, ANSES was contacted for the prioritization of animal diseases present in France or exotic for other livestock species: fish, molluscs, crustaceans, bees, but also for dogs and cats.
The objective was to rank animal diseases according in particular to their consequences for animal health and public health. Thus, the Agency has developed prioritization tools integrating eight groups of criteria:
- potential for persistence and progression of disease/infection in animals;
- economic and commercial impact of the disease on affected farms;
- impact of the disease on human health;
- societal impact of the disease;
- impact of disease on biodiversity;
- limits to the effectiveness of control measures;
- overall economic impact of national control measures;
- societal and environmental impacts of control measures.
The first prioritization tool, intended for “major” farmed species, is particularly precise, taking into account many criteria for which it is necessary to have abundant and precise data on the diseases and on the species considered.
The second tool proposes a simplified method, making it possible to consider a hierarchy of animal diseases in species for which knowledge is much more limited, taking uncertainty into account.
These tools are now available online on the Agency’s website, in the form of spreadsheets. They allow the risk manager and professionals to be able to adapt the hierarchy of animal diseases to specific needs and for particular sectors or sub-sectors.