Question 7804 — overseas

Summary

Enzootic bovine leukosis is a long-described disease that causes tumors in older animals that are most often discovered at the slaughterhouse. This disease has not been the subject of control measures for a long time because it generally does not weaken animals and is not transmissible to humans. In 1990, certain Northern European countries nevertheless wanted to free themselves from it and required certifications for animals entering their territory. France has therefore regulated the fight against this disease by making its screening compulsory and providing for the elimination of positive animals. These elimination measures were accompanied by financial measures which, however, remained modest in relation to the market value of the animals. These financial measures remain in force at this time. Given the low prevalence of disease in France, this policy was nevertheless able to be carried out and mainland France is today free from enzootic bovine leukosis. Overseas, the situation is very different: the prevalence of leukosis is much higher there than in France, this disease being transmitted there by biting insects. This is particularly the case of Guyana and Reunion. The ministerial order to combat leukosis appeared to be poorly suited to the health situation in the overseas departments (DOM) to the extent that the disease does not represent a danger to human health and has a low impact on animal health. In fact, measures to eliminate positive animals would have resulted in massive slaughter of many herds. In 2008, two expert missions [that of the general food council, agriculture and rural areas on the one hand and that of the national agency for food, environmental and occupational health safety (ANSES), the center for international cooperation in agronomic research for development and the livestock institute on the other hand] considered that leukosis is not the cause of the mortalities that can be observed in the Reunion herd and the origin of which should be sought in poorly controlled intensification of production. Furthermore, ANSES, in its opinion delivered on January 24, 2018 on health dangers in the French overseas departments, did not classify leukosis among the priority diseases, in particular due to the rarity of clinical cases and its low economic impact. Despite recent work carried out in the United States, where the prevalence of bovine leukosis is high, the American Government has not considered that it was useful to pursue a policy of eradication of this disease, just like many other countries. These studies would demonstrate a link between breast cancer and enzootic bovine leukosis. The Government is of course attentive to the evolution of knowledge. However, the study in question is openly contested by other international teams working on breast cancer. ANSES, in its opinion of January 24, 2018, estimates that the impact of the disease on human health is zero. However, it is in the interests of the sectors to eradicate bovine leukosis by means allowing the fight against priority diseases in the cattle herd at the same time. In order to know precisely the distribution of the disease, a ministerial decree of October 27, 2017 makes annual blood screening mandatory on animals over 12 months old for all animals. cattle owners, all sectors combined. The inventory which will be carried out during the 2018 prophylaxis campaign, as well as the synthesis of the different means of control adapted to bovine leukosis in Reunion, must lead to the structuring of a global bovine health control plan whose objectives are, in the medium term, the reduction of the prevalence of this disease, but also of all those impacting the bovine herd, and to in the longer term, the eradication of this disease.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

Timeline

No timeline events have been ingested for this record yet.

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

No documents linked.

Sponsors

No sponsors or actors listed by the source.

Related records

No cross-record relationships stored yet.