Food security in infectious world
decision-makers from all over the world to discuss ways to increase
international cooperation in the battle to combat highly
transmissible animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease (FMD)
and classical swine fever (CSF), reports CORDIS.
The economic consequences of outbreaks of FMD and CSF, future research needs, ethical questions and new EU legislation in this sphere were also the focus of this workshop on epizootic diseases.
In 2001, FMD alone cost the EU more than €10 billion. CSF, which is still a concern in some parts of the EU, led to the slaughter of 15 million pigs in the 1990s.
In developing countries, communicable animal diseases have even worse consequences, with an impact on trade, development, food security, poverty reduction, transport and tourism, said the news report.
In addition, dealing with those highly infectious diseases raises questions of social, environmental and ethical dimensions.
Due to the transboundary nature of the recent outbreaks, control, prevention and research must take place at global level. The workshop was an opportunity for the Commission to re-emphasise its readiness to be a part of the international effort. 'Europe has a strong tradition in research into transmissible diseases,' said Commissioner Phillipe Busquin.
To combat the most recent of these diseases, Avian influenza, the research project AVIFLU is set to receive €1.8 billion from the EU over the next three years. It will look for ways to improve the diagnosis and control of avian influenza infections.
The EU is also contributing €270,000 over four years to an additional research project, ESNIP, which will set up a European surveillance network for a variant of influenza in pigs.
Under the Fourth and Fifth Research Framework Programme, the EU financed seven projects on detecting viruses and antibodies, and more recently, two projects conducting research into vaccines for FMD and CSF were accepted for funding under the EU Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).
