Introduction
In an animal health context, surveillance broadly refers to the collection, processing and timely dissemination of animal health information. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has a central role in animal health surveillance in Ireland. Surveillance is carried out for many reasons, and the information collected comes in many forms.
For a relatively small number of diseases, the surveillance is initiated centrally by DAFM or other bodies such as Animal Health Ireland. This surveillance is known as active surveillance, and it is typically achieved through coordinated testing programmes. The reasons for active surveillance include control of high-impact diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), disease eradication as in the case of bovine tuberculosis, bovine brucellosis and BVD, and proof of freedom from diseases which could potentially affect trade, such as enzootic bovine leukosis and bluetongue.
0.1 Passive surveillance
Passive surveillance refers to surveillance initiated by the observers of animals. It encompasses both the reporting of notifiable diseases to the authorities and the voluntary submission of carcases and samples to veterinary laboratories. Passive surveillance has been, and continues to be, Ireland’s mainstay in detecting animal diseases. A key role of the laboratories operated by DAFM and others is to provide those working with animals, such as livestock owners and veterinary practitioners with the diagnostic support required to inform their work. While this supporting role can be invaluable to the farmers and vets availing of it, veterinary laboratories are also a critical part of the national infrastructure required for early detection of new/emerging or exotic diseases (i.e. diseases which are not currently present in Ireland). Although the probability of incursion of an exotic disease at any given time may be very low, the consequences of such an event are potentially very significant. Therefore, although less visible to stakeholders, the role of the laboratories in vigilance for exotic diseases is arguably even more important to the wider agri-food industry in safeguarding animal health and export trade.
0.2 Climate change
The long hot summer of 2018 appears to have had a positive effect on the overall health of livestock. It also posed challenges for many farmers in the south and east of the country - in ensuring that livestock had continued access to drinking water and both sufficient summer pasture and enough winter fodder with such an extended period of poor grass growth. While the attribution of an increasing number of unusual weather events like long hot summers and severe storms to climate change is a matter of debate, there is now a broad societal acceptance of the concept of climate change induced by human activity, and of the urgent need for climate action, with agriculture receiving particular attention in respect of both mitigation and adaptation. Improving the efficiency of livestock production as a possible means to reduce the carbon footprint per kilogram of meat or milk produced is one key aspect of mitigating the impact of farming. Therefore laboratory diagnostic support is likely to be needed more than ever to provide the information that farmers and their vets will need to prevent and control diseases, thereby minimising morbidity and mortality and maximising productivity.
Climate change may also play a more direct role in increasing risks to animal health if it allows for an expansion in the geographic range, abundance and/or activity of arthropod vectors of livestock diseases which heretofore have been exotic to Ireland - yet another reason for robust surveillance.
0.3 The report
It is in this context that we present the 2018 Animal Disease Surveillance Report. While it conveys something of the scale and range of laboratory activities undertaken every year, this report cannot adequately reflect the effort and dedication of those behind the scenes in the provision of laboratory diagnostic services, nor the challenges inherent in extracting meaningful surveillance information from a voluntary diagnostic caseload. We must also acknowledge the critical role played by our clients (farmers and vets) who, by making the effort to avail of laboratory services, are not only taking full responsibility for the health and welfare of the animals under their own care, but are also indirectly contributing to the store of knowledge available to the wider community in maintaining the favourable health and welfare status of the national herd. Finally, a particular word of thanks to Cosme Sánchez-Miguel, whose tireless efforts have ensured the timely production of this report.
We are pleased to commend this report to our readers. For further information on animal health surveillance, please also visit our Animal Health Surveillance webpage
Donal Sammin
Mícheál Casey
A cooperative effort between the VLS and the SAT Section of the DAFM