The European Commission has proposed this Monday to introduce changes in the application of EU animal health legislation in order to make it more uniform among Member States, speed up the classification of diseases in the face of new threats, and analyze a broader use of vaccination as a preventive measure.
In a review published a decade after the adoption of the rule, Brussels notes that the implementation of this framework remains uneven and that several countries have not yet completed the adaptation of their national laws, although it maintains that the legislation has allowed progress towards a more preventive and risk-based system.
The regulation, approved in 2016 and in force since April 2021, replaced dozens of scattered provisions with a single framework to prevent, monitor, and control transmissible animal diseases, with the aim of protecting livestock, public health, and the proper functioning of the internal market.
According to the analysis disseminated by the Commission, the new framework has helped to clarify the obligations of farmers, veterinarians, and national authorities, in addition to strengthening biosecurity, health surveillance, and the capacity to react to disease outbreaks such as avian influenza or African swine fever.
Brussels also emphasizes that the zone-based restriction system has made it possible to limit the movement of animals and products in affected areas without resorting to general bans on an entire country, which has contributed to sustaining trade from disease-free regions during certain episodes.
Uneven application among Member States
Despite these advances, the Commission acknowledges that the application of the law continues to be heterogeneous among countries and that differences in resources, veterinary structures, digital tools, and national criteria can generate additional administrative burdens or compliance problems, especially for smaller operators.
Among the areas to be improved, Brussels points out the need to revise the classification of diseases more quickly, a system that ranks health threats according to their risk and impact, but which, according to some of the stakeholders consulted, should better respond to emerging diseases, epidemiological changes, and risks associated with climate change.
The Commission also proposes to study in greater depth the use of vaccination as a preventive tool, after legislation has specified the conditions for resorting to it in emergency situations or on a strategic basis against certain pathologies.
Spain, among the most advanced countries in adaptation
The report highlights that some Member States, such as Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands, have made significant progress in adapting their national legislation, although full alignment with the European framework remains pending in a large part of the EU.
In the specific case of Spain, the document emphasizes that it has already "fully aligned" its regulatory framework with European law, unlike other EU partners who are still experiencing delays in this process.
It also points out that the transition was "relatively smooth" thanks to the prior existence of legislative structures and national control measures that already went beyond the minimum EU requirements, although the adaptation required changes in traceability systems and contingency plans.
The study also uses the Spanish example to illustrate the application of zonal restrictions during the outbreak of sheep and goat pox recorded between 2022 and 2023, which affected Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha and led to the culling of more than 52,000 small ruminants before Spain regained its status as disease-free country in November 2023.
In particular, the report underlines that the Spanish authorities imposed progressive restrictions on animal movements, especially in Castilla-La Mancha, where the movement of sheep and goats was practically restricted to transport for immediate slaughter, an action that is presented as an example of the flexible use of the tools provided for in the European framework.