Endemic diseases Poul Bækbo, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECPHM Dep. for Veterinary Research and Development Danish Pig Production Danish Agriculture & Food Council Together with Erling Kristensen, L&F Jens Peter Nielsen, professor, KU-LIFE Klaus Lønne, DJF, AaU Henrik Stampe Lund, VI, DTU 20789

Endemic diseases Basic idea of the proposal: A European research effort on animal welfare threatening diseases in production animal with special focus on endemic diseases

Epidemic diseases in Denmark F&M disease1983 Classical swine fever1933 Pseudorabies1991 TGENever recorded Salmonella cholerasuisSporadic (1999)

Main endemic infections/diseases in pigs Swine influenza PRRS PCV2 (PMWS) Porcine parvovirus Pneumonia –Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae –Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Atrophic rhinitis Dysentry Enteritis –Brachyspira hyodysenteriae & pilosicoli –Lawsonia intracellularis –E.coli

Non-infectious endemic problems Claw lesions in cattle and sows Ketosis of lactating cows Shoulder lesion in sows Tail lesions

Why focus on endemic diseases ? Each day through out the year/years an: increase in production costs impact on animal welfare impact on the environment impact on the risk of antimicrobial resistance

Endemic diseases Highly complex nature Many risk factors –Housing conditions & feeding –Management –Trading patterns –Disease resistance (immunology) Needs a broad scientific approach

Research topics Identification of causes and intervention strategies: Multi-disiplinary approach –Pathogenesis –Pathology –Immunity –Epidemiology –Animal health economics –Animal ethics –Human sociology –Knowledge transfer

Very large production facilities – a challenge!

More focus on animal welfare Report on ”A new Animal Health Strategy for EU ( )” asks for 1.”both hard indicators of animal health” as well as 1.”softer indicators tracking the confidence, expectations and perceptions of European citizens”

A pradigme shift on welfare ? From focus on housing conditions (cm, stocking density, kg. of straw, temperature ect.) To focus on the individual animal Need for R&D –A universal definition of animal welfare (farmer-consumer-agreement) –Indicators for welfare –Tools for automatic monitoring (ec ICT-solutions) –Tools for documentation & tracebility

The value for EU Common understanding on animal health & welfare leeds to 1.Improvement of future EU regulations 1.Improvement of health & welfare strategies Inter-EU trade of live animals without complications 1.Improvement of future standards and codes

Thats all for now !

Landbrug & Fødevarer Danish Agriculture and Food Council Represents the Danish farming and food industry The organisation is the result of a merger of the Danish Agricultural Council, the Danish Bacon and Meat Council, Danish Pig Production, Danish Agriculture, including Danish Agricultural Media and Danish Agricultural Advisory Service, and a major part of the activities of the Danish Dairy Board The Danish Agriculture and Food Council represents Denmark’s largest business and innovation cluster employing some 150,000 people and exporting agricultural products and equipment to the value of about 15 billion Euros a year

Who is Poul Bækbo ? Veterinarian in 1982 (DVM): 2 years in general practice at the countryside 6 years at the Veterinary University in Copenhagen –Research in diseases of pigs (PhD) and horses 19 years in pig disease R&D for the pig industry: –Many names – the same job: Danish Agriculture & Food Council Danish Pig Production Danish Meat Association Danish Bacon & Meat Council