Through the decades, Europe has had to
tackle a wide array of different animal
diseases. These have ranged from largescale
epidemics, such as foot-and-mouth
disease and avian influenza, to less
destructive but endemic diseases such as
bovine brucellosis. As pathogens clearly
do not respect borders, an animal disease
outbreak in one part of the EU is a potential
threat to all Member States. Therefore, a
harmonised approach has been taken in
addressing animal health problems