EHJ February 2004, pages 62-63
Controls are needed and targets are required for reducing the prevalence of certain zoonoses and zoonotic agents in the animal population. Tina Garrity looks at new legislation to improve current arrangements

For some years now the European Commission has been collecting data from member states on the occurrence of zoonoses and zoonotic agents in feedstuffs, animals, food and human beings under the 1992 Zoonoses Directive (92/117/EEC). The data has revealed that the majority of cases of zoonoses in humans are caused by salmonella spp and campylobacter spp. It has also revealed that there appears to be a decreasing trend in the cases of human salmonellosis. This reflects successes in the control measures taken in the community.

However, the epidemiological data being presented is incomplete and is not fully comparable. As a result, in April 2000 the scientific committee on veterinary measures relating to public health recommended improved monitoring arrangements and identified some risk management options.

While zoonoses controls should generally be those listed under the normal EU food and feed legislation, it is felt that for certain zoonoses and zoonotic agents there should be specific control requirements and that these should be based on targets for a reduction in their prevalence within the animal population. To assist in improving current arrangements, two new pieces of legislation have been agreed.

MONITORING ZOONOSES AND ZOONOTIC AGENTS

A new directive has been adopted which updates and expands 92/117/EEC. It requires member states to collect relevant and comparable data to identify and characterise hazards, to assess exposures and to characterise risks related to zoonoses and zoonotic agents. Monitoring must take place at the stage or stages of the food chain most appropriate to the zoonosis or zoonotic agent concerned.
The directive lists those zoonoses, which all member states must monitor:

• brucellosis and agents thereof
• campylobacteriosis and agents thereof
• echinococcosis and agents thereof
• listeriosis and agents thereof
• salmonellosis and agents thereof
• trichinellosis and agents thereof
• tuberculosis due to mycobacterium bovis, and
• verotoxigenic escherichia coli.

A supplementary list, including zoonoses such as leptospirosis, botulism and cryptosporidiosis, is to be monitored where the epidemiological situation so warrants.

For the time being, member states may use their existing monitoring systems but to improve the ease of compilation and comparability, detailed rules such as the sampling schemes and laboratory methods to be used may be set down later. In addition, where the data collected proves to be insufficient, coordinated monitoring systems for specific zoonoses may be established.

The minimum characteristics required of these are laid down. Where food business operators conduct examinations for the presence of zoonoses and zoonotic agents under the directive, they must keep the results and arrange for the preservation of any isolate for a period to be specified by the competent authority. These results must be communicated and the isolates provided upon request.

The monitoring conducted under the directive must provide comparable data on antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic agents and, in so far as they present a public health threat, in other agents as well. Details of what the monitoring system must provide are laid down, eg it must provide relevant information at least with regard to a representative number of isolates of salmonella spp, campylobacter jejeuni and campylobacter coli from cattle, pigs and poultry and food of animal origin derived from those species.

Where a food business operator informs the competent authority that it believes it has placed on the market a food which may be injurious to health (as required under the General Food Law Regulation - No 178/2002), that foodstuff or an appropriate sample of it must be preserved so as not to impede its investigation in a laboratory or the investigation of any foodborne outbreak.

The directive goes on to require the competent authorities to investigate foodborne outbreaks. The investigation must provide data on the epidemiological profile, the foodstuffs potentially implicated and the potential causes of the outbreak. It must also include, as far as possible, adequate epidemiological and microbiological studies. Member states are required to transmit a summary report of the investigations conducted to the commission according to a set of requirements listed in an annex. Detailed rules on the investigation of foodborne outbreaks may be laid down later.

Each year, member states must send the commission a report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents and antimicrobial resistance, covering the data collected under the directive. These reports, and any summaries of them, must be made publicly available. The minimum requirements for the reports are set out in an annex. The European Food Safety Authority will publish a summary report for the whole community. The new directive entered into force on 12 December 2003. The old directive will be repealed from 12 June 2004.

NEW ZOONOSES AND ZOONOTIC CONTROLS

A new regulation on the control of zoonoses and zoonotic agents allows community targets to be set for a reduction in their prevalence. At present this is limited to all salmonella serotypes with public health significance in laying hens, broilers, turkeys, herds of slaughter pigs, breeding herds of pigs and breeding flocks of Gallus gallus - a breed of chicken. However, others may be added.

The date by which targets must be established is set out for each animal group, as is the date from which testing must begin. At the moment, the targets will apply to primary production or slaughter in the case of the slaughter pigs. In the case of laying hens, broilers and turkeys, the targets will include salmonella enteriditis and salmonella typhimurium for a transitional period of three years. For breeding flocks of Gallus gallus, the targets will cover the five most frequent salmonella serotypes in human salmonellosis.

Member states must establish national control programmes for all zoonoses and agents covered by the regulation. In doing so, they must consider where zoonoses exists within their country and the financial implications for primary producers and feed and food business operators of establishing effective controls. Those producing for private domestic use or supplying small quantities direct to the final consumer or local retail establishments supplying primary products to the final consumer, will be exempted. Programmes must be continuous and cover a period of at least three consecutive years. Their objectives are set out with detailed requirements being covered in an annex. Also set out are minimum sampling requirements. Programmes must cover, at least, feed production, primary production of animals and the processing and preparation of food of animal origin.

Under the regulation, the national competent authority will have the power to approve and incorporate into the national programmes those programmes operated by food and feed business operators themselves, where the latter so wish. To obtain approval, operators must comply with the regulation and communicate their programme results to their competent authority. The member states must provide details of any such programmes to the commission upon request.

The regulation allows for specific control methods to be introduced, in particular unspecified circumstances, either on the initiative of the commission or at the request of a member state. Third countries wanting to export to the EU will have to seek approval from the commission and provide guarantees that they have an equivalent regime in place. Community reference laboratories for the analysis and testing of zoonoses and zoonotic agents will be designated. The member states, in turn, must designate national reference laboratories.

Regulation (EC) No. 2160/2003... on the control of salmonella and other specified food borne zoonotic agents. OJ L 235. 12.12.03. Visit http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2003/1_325/1_32520031212en00010015.pdf

Directive 2003/99/EC... on the monitoring of zoonoses and zoonotic agents, amending council decisions 90/424/EEC and repealing council directive 92/117/EEC. OJ L 325. 12.12.03. Visit http://europa.eu.int/eur- lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2003/1_325/1_32520031212en00310040.pdf