On Tuesday 24 May, EU agriculture ministers adopted conclusions aimed at ensuring the development of vaccination as a complementary tool for the prevention and control of the highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The ministers invite the European Commission to explore the possibilities of a joint or banked vaccine purchasing mechanism and call for joint efforts to enhance the acceptability of vaccination against this disease in international trade.
In a debate in the Council, several EU Member States, including Estonia, Spain, Lithuania, Germany, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, raised the potential disadvantages of the vaccination on trade, namely restrictions by trading partners on poultry exported from the EU.
The Netherlands stressed the need to “make the vaccination possible, as soon as possible”.
Germany and Denmark believe the advantages and disadvantages of the vaccination must be analysed. Estonia and Sweden have requested a risk analysis. The need to be able to separate vaccinated and infected animals was stressed by Estonia and Slovenia.
For the Spanish minister, Luis Planas, the measures must be compatible with WTO rules.
Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides supported the conclusions and said that new rules for vaccination against avian influenza will be adopted “in the second half of 2022”. “We are preparing a mandate for the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to fill the gap in scientific knowledge”, the Commissioner added. A new framework for the discovery of new vaccines will also be required. “We will be able to support the deployment of vaccine strategies as soon as good vaccines are available”, the Commissioner said.
Marc Fesneau, the new French Agriculture Minister, who is the Chair of this Council, said that “the aim is not to impose vaccination at EU level”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)