Here you can find legislation and guidance for zoonoses (diseases that pass from animals to humans).
EU legislation
Directive 2003/99/EC (this opens in a new tab) (OJ L 325, p31, 12.12.2003) of the European Parliament and of the Council on the monitoring of zoonoses and zoonotic agents
Amended by
- Council Directive 2006/104/EC (this opens in a new tab) (OJ L 363, p352, 20.12.2006) of 20 November 2006
Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 (this opens in a new tab) (OJ L 325, p1, 12.12.2003) of the European Parliament and of the Council on the control of salmonella and other specified food-borne zoonotic agents
Amended by
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 1003/2005 (this opens in a new tab) (OJ L 170, p12, 01.07.2005) of 30 June 2005 (No longer in force)
- Council Regulation (EC) No 1791/2006 (this opens in a new tab) (OJ L 363, p1, 20.12.2006) of 20 November 2006 (No longer in force)
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 1237/2007 (this opens in a new tab) (OJ L 280, p5, 24.10.2007) of 23 October 2007
National legislation
European Communities (Monitoring of Zoonoses) Regulations 2004 (S.I. No. 154 of 2004) (this opens in a new tab)
A zoonosis (plural zoonoses) is defined in Directive 2003/99/EC (this opens in a new tab) as meaning “any disease and/or infection which is naturally transmissible directly or indirectly between animals and humans”.
The principal objective of Directive 2003/99/EC is to ensure that zoonoses, zoonotic agents and related antimicrobial resistance are properly monitored, and that food-borne outbreaks receive proper epidemiological investigation, in order to enable the collection in the European Union of the information necessary to evaluate relevant trends and sources of zoonoses.
Directive 2003/99/EC sets out the requirements for:
- the monitoring of zoonoses and zoonotic agents;
- the monitoring of related antimicrobial resistance;
- the epidemiological investigation of food-borne outbreaks; and
- the exchange of information related to zoonoses and zoonotic agents.