Why?: EU guidelines require the implementation, at the national level, of the guidelines and objectives defined in the ETPGAH Action Plan = « Mirror Groups ».

How?: • a French initiative, from the Ministry of Agriculture, launched in May 2007• A Steering Committee was nominated and worked on the definition of what could be done in France in this context• Series of meetings and teleconferences between May and October 2007 to organize a kick-off meeting to gather and inform all stakeholders (industry, public research organisms, vet schools, government, diagnostic labs…)

Who?: Stakeholders covering the whole range of animal health professionals:

•Ministry of Agriculture (and Fisheries)•Animal Health Industry, united in SIMV•French Agency for Food Safety (AFSSA)•National Veterinary Schools (ENV)•National Institute of Agronomy Research (INRA)•Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD)•Technical Veterinarians Union (SNGTV)•Sanitary Defence Groups (farmers) (FNGDS)•Public Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories (ADILVA)…

What for?: Objectives• to create an active and unique forum, putting together all actors in animal health, by providing a unique network able to connect public research institutions missions, AH industry needs, and “field end-users” (vets, farmers…) needs.• to provide a solid basis by the presence of multifocal expertise of the different stakeholders, working on the basis of 3 main principles for all topics:

• concertation• cooperation• coordination

• A specific RFSA Action Plan is in progress, with research needs and proposals, resulting in coordinated research plans (2009). • The diseases that will be targeted in the Action Plan are not limited to the ETPGAH list of diseases, and not limited to livestock diseases and zoonosis (France has many requests for companion animals and horses)• Strong link and coordination with state authorities

Structure of the RFSA Network:• A Steering Committee, representing all the members• A Secretariat, also involved in the drafting of the Action Plan• Different Working Groups (GT) have been set up in Dec 07:

• GT1 ; for providing solutions to the immediate needs in the field, mainly the availability of orphan drugs , “diagnostics and vaccines”

• GT2 ; emerging diseases: with BTV as a first topic due to current epidemiology. The work of this GT was used to set priorities in the current national research program for BTV-associated projects.

• GT3 ; definition of projects to be proposed by RFSA within the context of FP7 projects calls

• GT4 ; implement the Action Plan (cooperation private-public sectors)

RFSA achievements so far:

• A specific web site (in French) was created and hosted by the SIMV; partly open to the public; fully controlled access for members: www.rfsa.net

• A Kick-off meeting (October 27th, 2007)• to raise awareness about the RFSA initiative• to provide a mapping of all members’ respective expertise,• to identify research needs and gaps, and suggest a list of

research priorities• to propose contractual rules between industry and public

partners (in the network context)• attendance = up to 100• Summary conference available on the web site

RFSA achievements:• “orphan drugs” working group GT1:

The group has successfully addressed a wide number of topics in 2008:• anthrax vaccine (emergency situation in Jura)• botulism vaccine• tuberculin for ID tests• Products for bee disease treatment• discussion on autologous vaccines for sheepOverall, very positive output. Having all actors (regulatory authorities, manufacturers, veterinarians and farmers) around the same table has definitely helped to define rapid and pragmatic solutions.

RFSA achievements:• BTV working group GT2:

• Concerted list of immediate (“operational”) research needs:• Epidemiology, diagnostic tools, molecular typing, BTV status

in wildlife… • Consequences on reproduction performances, on husbandry

practices• Economical impacts (direct and indirect)• Vector biology and control measures• Vaccines (safety and efficacy in “minor species”)

• Government funded research programs (total of 1,5 M€ for Short Term perspectives)• Longer-term research: pathogenesis, immunology, etc. to be addressed through the RFSA Action Plan

• Meeting on RFSA initiative for the review of the ongoing research projects on BTV (January 21st, 2009)

RFSA achievements:• FP7 working group GT3:

• prepare RFSA coordinated inputs for national participants to FP7 Programme Committee (link with the Action Plan)

• Links with EMIDA – ERA NET, Discontools• Identify groups able to respond to FP7 topics• identify RFSA coordinated topic priorities and needs for future

calls, within :

• 2.1.1. Enabling research, Main line 2:'Omics technologies', systems biology and other basic sciences in farm animals: focus on immune functions, genomics of pathogens and vectors. Need for basic knowledge on host defence, on pathogens.

• 2.1.2. Main line 14 « essential biological functions of farmed animals »: focus on functions for health and welfare

RFSA achievements:• FP7 working group GT3 (continued):

• 2.1.3. « Optimized animal health » • Main line 1, Animal health and non food-borne zoonoses : focus on arthropod-borne diseases, including Orbiviruses but not only, extended to epidemiology, pathogenesis, biology, ecology and control measures of vector populations. Extension to tick-borne diseases. Specific focus on protozoal infections. Support to Bee health topics.• Main line 2, Food borne zoonoses: salmonellosis, STEC• Main line 3, Animal welfare: promote links between welfare and diseases, epidemiology of survey of welfare-based diseases, welfare and animal quality products

RFSA achievements:• GT4: implement the Action Plan: Cooperation

private-public sectors

1. The access and if possible use for the industry of "CLOVIS" Data base (the 4 vet. Schools documentation center)

2. A common program for a experimental model: Arthropod borne diseases (diseases- vector - animals)

3. Infectiology and immunology of mammary glands (mastitis)

Plans for the future:• GT1 some problems still have to be resolved

an annual report could be published

• GT2 reflection paper on emerging diseases priorities & methodology to anticipate the process to react• GT3 possible cooperation with some other Mirror groups• GT4 to define the rules for a productive PPP cooperation (resolution of legal aspects, technical issues…)

Afssa Annual report 2008

• « Une recherche appliquée, directement issue des problématiques de l’évaluation des risques et du terrain, nourrie du dialogue avec les professionnels des filières, dont un bel exemple est celui établi au sein du Réseau français de sante animale (RFSA). »Pascale Briand

Réseau Français pour la Santé Animale

• http://www.rfsa.net/