Abstract
In 2004 a survey was conducted in the member states of the European Union designed to gain greater insight into the views on control strategies for foot and mouth disease, classical swine fever, and avian influenza with respect to the epidemiological, economic and social-ethical consequences of each of these animal diseases. This article presents the results of the social-ethical survey. A selection of stakeholders from each member state was asked to prioritize issues for the prevention and control of these diseases. A majority of stakeholders chose preventive measures as the preferred issue. An analysis was done to determine whether there were differences in views expressed by stakeholders from member states with a history of recent epidemics and ones without such a history, and whether there were regional differences. There were no differences between member states with or without a history of recent epidemics. There were indeed regional differences between the priority orders from Northern and Southern Europe on the one hand, and from Eastern Europe on the other.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Anderson I. (2002). Foot and Mouth Disease: Lessons to be Learned Inquiry Report. HC888 July 22, 2002. London, United Kingdom: The Stationary Office
Cumbria Foot and Mouth Disease Inquiry Panel (2002) Cumbria Foot and Mouth Disease Inquiry Report. Retrieved from http://www.cumbria.gov.uk on June 1, 2004
Farm Animal Welfare Council (2002). Foot and Mouth Disease 2001 and Animal Welfare: Lessons for the Future. London, United Kingdom: Farm Animal Welfare Council
Huirne R. B. M., M. Mourits, F. Tomassen, J. J. de Vlieger, T. A. Vogelzang (2002). MKZ Verleden, Heden en Toekomst, over de Preventie en Bestrijding van MKZ. The Hague, the Netherlands: Landbouw Economisch Instituut
Institute for Health Research (2002). Evidence Submitted to Cumbria Foot and Mouth Disease Inquiry. Lancaster, United Kingdom: Lancaser University
Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (2002). Bestrijding van Mond – en Klauwzeer, ‹Stamping Out’ of Gebruik Maken van Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Royal Netherlands Academy for Arts and Sciences
Laurence C. J. (2002). Animal welfare consequences in England and Wales of the 2001 epidemic of foot and mouth disease. Scientific and Technical Review of the Office International de Epizooties 21(3): 863–868
Nederlandse Vereniging tot Bescherming van Dieren (2004). Reactie van de Dierenbescherming op de Evaluatie van de Vogelpestcrisis 2003 n.a.v. het Rapport van het Bureau Berenschot en de Reactie van het Kabinet. The Hague, The␣Netherlands: Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals
Noordhuizen-Stassen E. N., L. J. E. Rutgers, J. M. Swabe (2003). Het Doden van Gehouden Dieren. Utrecht, The Netherlands: Utrecht University
Raad voor het Landelijk Gebied and Raad voor Dieraangelegenheden (2003). Dierziektebeleid met Draagvlak, Advies over de Bestrijding van Zeer Besmettelijke Dierziekten, Deel 1 Advies. Report RLG 03/8 RDA 2003/08. The Hague, The Netherlands: The Council for the Rural Area and The Council for Animal Affairs
Raad voor het Landelijk Gebied and Raad voor Dieraangelegenheden (2004). Dierziektebeleid met Draagvlak, Advies over de Bestrijding van Zeer Besmettelijke Dierziekten, Deel 2 Onderbouwing van het Advies. Report RLG 03/8 RDA 2004/01. The Hague, The Netherlands: The Council for the Rural Area and The Council for Animal Affairs
Royal Society (2002) Infectious Diseases in Livestock, Scientific Questions Relating to The Transmission, Prevention and Control of Epidemic Outbreaks of Infectious Disease in Livestock in Great Britain. London, United Kingdom: The Royal Society
Schaftenaar W. (2002). Use of vaccination against foot and mouth disease in zoo animals, endangered species and exceptionally valuable animals. Scientific and Technical Review of the Office International de Epizooties 21(3): 613–623
Stafleu F. R., C. C. Lauwere, K. H. de Greef, P. Sollie, S. Dudink (2004). Boerenethiek. Eigen Waarden als Basis voor een ‹Nieuwe’ Ethiek. Een Inventarisatie. Utrecht, The Netherlands: Ethics Institute, Utrecht University
van Asseldonk M., R. M. de Jong, K. de Vlieger, M. Huirne (eds.) (2005). Prevention and Control of Foot and Mouth Disease, Classical Swine Fever and Avian Influenza in The European Union: An Integrated Analysis of Epidemiological, Economic and Social-Ethical Aspects. Wageningen and Utrecht. The Netherlands: Wageningen University and Research Centre, Utrecht University, Consortium for Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics
van den Berg B. (2002). Evaluatie Van Het Welzijn Van Dieren Tijdens De Mond – En Klauwzeercrisis In Nederland in 2001. The Hague, The Netherlands: Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals
van Haaften, E. H., and P. H. Kersten (2002). Veerkracht. Report no. 539. Wageningen, The Netherlands: Alterra
van Velzen K., I. Dekker (2003). Niet Ruimen, maar Prikken! Hoe Nederland Opnieuw Massaal Gezonde Dieren Liet Afmaken. The Hague, The Netherlands: Tweede-Kamerfractie SP
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Leo den Hartog, Johan Statius Muller, and Stellajane Holmes for their valuable advice and assistance.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Nina E. Cohen is a biologist and is a researcher at the Wageningen University. She is specialized in societal and ethical issues in human–animal relationships. Her current research is focused on the social-ethical issues concerning the prevention and control of foot and mouth disease, classical swine fever and avian influenza.
Marcel A.P.M. van Asseldonk has studied animal science. Currently he works at the Institute for Risk Management in Agriculture (IRMA) of the Wageningen University. He is specialized in the design and pricing of insurance policies and animal health funds for the main livestock epidemics.
Elsbeth N. Stassen is a veterinarian and professor of Animals and Society at the Wageningen University. Elsbeth Stassen is specialized in animal health, animal welfare and human–animal relationships. She was a member of a governmental welfare committee during the avian influenza epidemic in the Netherlands in 2003.
Rights and permissions
Open Access This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0 ), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
About this article
Cite this article
Cohen, N., van Asseldonk, M. & Stassen, E. Social-ethical issues concerning the control strategy of animal diseases in the European Union: A survey. Agric Hum Values 24, 499–510 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-007-9086-9
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-007-9086-9