Activities and institutions

Activities

Response to outbreaks of notifiable disease

To respond effectively to national and pan-European outbreaks of notifiable disease, CoVetLab partners need to be fully prepared. Disease and testing networks have been formed to facilitate and enhance our laboratory responses and to share knowledge on sampling, screening testing, advice and consultation, prevention of and during outbreaks.

Expertise and ‘state-of-the-art’ diagnostics and research

The partners enhance their scientific capabilities by sharing experiences, visits and collaborative projects. Activities involve:

  • Joint scientific activities for maintaining awareness and current knowledge in specialist areas
  • Scientific meetings to discuss research plans
  • Workshops to investigate and resolve problems of common interest
  • Short-term placements across the member laboratories
  • Sharing intelligence
  • Collaboration within the animal health domain
  • Develop joint proposals for research funding

Institutions

 

ANSES is the French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety.

In the field of animal health and welfare, ANSES’s expertise helps to better understand the complex interactions between pathogens, animals, and farming conditions, while also supporting the management of public health crises. It thus helps prevent and control major animal diseases affecting livestock and wildlife, as well as zoonoses that impact human health. It also works to improve animal welfare while ensuring the safety of the food chain and the sustainability of the agricultural sectors.

Contacts
Eric Cardinale and Christophe Cordevant

 

 

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and works on behalf of the Scottish Government’ and Welsh Government.

APHA is an internationally recognised centre of scientific excellence providing a wide range of research and consultancy to the Government and commercial customers. We specialise in diseases of livestock and plants, diagnosis of disease and surveillance of new and emerging disease. APHA is a World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) reference laboratory for 18 diseases and UK National reference laboratory for 49 additional diseases.

APHA’s priorities are: 1) identifying and controlling endemic and exotic diseases and pests in animals, plants and bees, and surveillance of new and emerging pests and diseases, 2) scientific research in areas such as bacterial, viral, prion and parasitic diseases and vaccines, and food safety; and act as an international reference laboratory for many farm animal diseases, 3) facilitating international trade in animals, products of animal origin, and plants, 4) protecting endangered wildlife through licensing and registration, 5) managing a programme of apiary (bee) inspections, diagnostics, research and development, and training and advice, and 6) regulating the safe disposal of animal by-products to reduce the risk of potentially dangerous substances entering the food chain.

To enhance its scientific activity APHA develops commercial products and services and makes them available to organisations globally.

Contacts
Claudio Busato, John McGiven and Tony Fooks

 

 

The Danish Veterinary Consortium (DK-VET) is a collaboration between the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) and the Statens Serum Institut (SSI) for the performance of the veterinary public service agreement. This agreement is signed by Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries (FVM) and University of Copenhagen (UCPH).

Contacts
Thomas Bruun Rasmussen, Øystein Angen and Mattia Pirolo

 

 

The Swedish Veterinary Agency (Swedish: Statens Veterinärmedicinska Anstalt, SVA) is a Swedish government agency that answers to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Affairs.

Our mission is to secure health and food supply by monitoring and mitigating animal disease.

Contacts
Håkan Andersson and Anders Folkesson

 

 

Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) is a leading institute in animal health and veterinary public health, combining applied scientific research with veterinary diagnostics. Taking a One Health approach, WBVR connects animal, human, and environmental health through the diagnosis, surveillance, and control of zoonotic diseases.

As the Dutch National Reference Laboratory for numerous notifiable diseases, the institute carries out over 250,000 diagnostic analyses each year across livestock, wildlife, and aquatic species. Its experts specialize in virology, bacteriology, pathology, immunology, epidemiology, and vector-borne diseases, developing diagnostic tests, evaluating vaccines, and designing disease-prevention strategies.

WBVR operates state-of-the-art facilities, including a High Containment Unit for BSL-3/BSL-4 research, and holds ISO 9001, ISO 17025, ISO 17043, and AAALAC accreditation. With origins dating back to 1904, the institute collaborates internationally with WOAH, EFSA, and FAO, strengthening disease preparedness and resilient livestock systems across Europe.

Contacts
Matthijn de Boer and Miriam Koene