Four international organisations are of special importance for the National Veterinary Institute’s relations to international authorities:
- EU-commission
- World Organisation for Animal Health, OIE
- European commission for foot-and-mouth disease, EuFMD
- European Food Safety Agency, EFSA
EU-Commission
The EU-Commission has appointed a number of laboratories in the member states as European reference laboratories in various fields.
The National Veterinary Institute DTU is reference laboratory for fish diseases.
World Organisation for Animal Health, OIE
The OIE, World Organisation for Animal Health, is of the same importance to animals as the WHO is to humans. A great number of countries are members of the OIE, who is responsible for the improvement of animal health all over the world. The OIE is headed by an international committee, which meets once a year and elects a Director General for the day-to-day management.
The National Veterinary Institute DTU is the OIE reference laboratory for the fish disease VHS as well as the OIE Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Population Animal Health Diagnosis and Surveillance Systems.
European Commission for Foot-and-Mouth Disease, EuFMD
The EuFMD, European Commission for Foot-and-Mouth Disease, controls foot-and-mouth disease for the FAO, which has existed since 1954, when foot-and-mouth disease was widespread in Europe. The role of the commission is to support the EU-member states to prevent infection with the disease. This work is coordinated with the EU General Directorate for Health and Consumers.
The EuFMD also supports the EU neighbour states to control foot-and-mouth disease.
The National Veterinary Institute DTU participates in open commission meetings, but is not represented by a personal commission member at present.
European Food Safety Agency, EFSA
The EU has established the EFSA, European Food Safety Agency, whose primary tasks are scientific and technical advisory services, collection and analysis of information, early warning, crisis alert and consumer information. The EFSA is situated in Parma, Italy, and is headed by a board of directors and a managing director.
A coordinating scientific committee and a number of scientific panels offer the above-mentioned scientific advisory services. The National Veterinary Institute DTU is represented in the panel for animal health and welfare by Head of Section Anette Bøtner.
The institute is an international reference laboratory
The National Veterinary Institute DTU is an international reference laboratory in the following areas:
The institute participates in expert groups
Besides the permanent groups set up in the international organisations, the employees of the institute currently participate in working and expert groups for livestock diseases, animal health and animal welfare.
In collaboration with other national reference laboratories we participate in international activities that contribute to documenting the quality of our work. Primarily, these activities take place under the auspices of the EU Commission’s European reference laboratories.