Veterinary Services in Austria
Federal Ministry of Health,
Family and Youth
Dr. Johann Damoser
Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer
FEDERAL REPUBLIC
Nine Provinces, 99 Districts
App. 8 Mill. inhabitants, app. 84,000 km2
Federal Government, represented by Federal
Chancellor,
13 Federal Ministers
Nine Provincial Governments, represented by
Provincial Governor and Councillors
99 local administrative units (Districts), represented
by Head of District and local administration

Central Veterinary Administration
in the Ministry of Health, Family and Youth
3 departments, co-ordination by Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO)

9 regional veterinary administrations in the provinces, 1
dept., co-ordination by Provincial Veterinary Officer (PVO)

99 local veterinary administrations, management and coordination by District Veterinary Officer, (DVO)
executive organ, subordinate to PVO
REPUBLIK
ÖSTERREICH
Sektion /Division I
Personal, zentrale Organisation/
staff and central organisation
Sektion /Division IV
AGES = laboratories
Leiter: Prof. Dr. SCHLÖGEL
Verbraucherges. und Gesundheitsprävention/
consumer health and health prevention
Bereich /Sector B
Leiter: Mag. Ulrich HERZOG, CVO
Verbrauchergesundheit/consumer health
Abteilung/department 7
Leiter: Dr. Peter KRANNER
Lebensmittelangelegenheiten/food
control
Abteilung/department 8
Leiter: Dr. ZILBERSZAC
Neue Lebensmittel/ novel food,
Codex
Abteilung/department 9
Leiter: Dr. Michael
HAAS
Abteilung/department 4
Abteilung/department 6
Abteilung/department 5
Leiter: Dr. Peter-Vitus STANGL
Leiter: Dr. Elisabeth REISP
Leiter: Dr. J. DAMOSER
Lebensmittelsicherheit bei der
Fleischerz., der Primärprod. u. tier.
Nebenprodukte/ food safety in meat and
primary production, and animal byproducts
Tierschutz, Tierseuchen- u.
ZoonosenBekämpfung/ animal welfare, control
of diseases and zoonoses
LANDESHAUPTMANN
Landesveterinärdirektor/PVO
BEZIRKSVERWALTUNGSBEHÖRDE
Amtstierarzt/DVO
Biotechnologien/bioengineering
BÜRGERMEISTER
beauftragtes Organ für Veterinärwesen
Stand 17.7.2007
Dr. W. REISENHOFER
Fachexperte/technical expert
Alpenweideviehverkehr, Veterinärvereinbarungen/ temp. grazing, vet. agreements,
WTO
Deputy - CVO
Tiergesundheit, Handel mit
leb.Tieren und Veterinärrecht/
animal health, trade in live
animals and vet. legislation
Dr. Anton BARTL
Leiter d. grenztierärztl.
Dienstes/vet. border control
grenztierärztlicher
Dienst
grenztierärztlicher Dienst
veterinary border control
Enacting veterinary regulations and execution
in federal responsibility



Execution via „indirect federal administration“ by the
Provincial Governor (PG)
Minister has Right of Order towards the Provincial Governor
Organisation of administration in the provinces lies with
Provincial Governor
Obligation for the provinces to report on demand of the Minister
Execution via „direct federal administration“ by the
Federal Minister (FM)
 Right of Direct Order with regard to veterinary border inspection
(5 BIPs at present)
Animal Health Services
Self-control-system for farmers and vets
controlled by accredited private control
organisations and the State
Objectives:
 Promotion of animal health and animal welfare by
competent supervision and further education
 Reduction and surveillance of the use of veterinary
drugs
 Guarantee safety and quality of food from animal
origin at the highest possible level
14 programmes for specific animal species:
 set up in working groups
 agreed upon in advisory board
 official notification in AVN (official veterinary bulletin)
 legally binding
Number of Animals and Premises
Type
of animals
Number
of animals
Number
of premises
cattle
app. 2 mill.
app. 89,000
pigs
app. 3.2 mill.
app. 63,000
sheep
app. 325,000
app. 16,000
goats
app. 54,000
app. 11,000
chicken
app. 12 mill.
app. 71,000
horses
app. 87,000
app. 18,000
dogs
app. 600,000
Status regarding Notifiable Animal Diseases
Free from Diseases of (former) List A of OIE
Official Freedom / Additional Guarantees:
Bovine Tuberculosis
Bovine Brucellosis
Enzootic Bovine Leucosis
IBR / IPV
Scrapie
Brucella melitensis
Aujeszky´s Disease
National programmes for BVD and Paratuberculosis
eradication
Number of Veterinarians
Total number of veterinarians:
Central veterinary administration:
Provincial vet. administrations:
District Veterinary Officers :
„Official Veterinarians“:
App. 2,500
23 + 12 BIP
App. 75
App. 150
App. 260
Persons appointed to carry out official tasks
->with regard to their official activities:
subject to directions
 rules on bias apply
 officer within the meaning of the penal act (official
delicts: abuse of position, improper acceptance of gifts,
malversatory certification,…)
 public liability/officer‘s liability

Private Veterinarians
Animal Disease Act (ADA)
possibility to make use of freelance veterinarians,
preferably those resident in the administrative district

in case of outbreak of a disease (§ 2a (1) ADA) as
veterinarians with special responsibility for the disease

preventing the spread or introduction of animal diseases
- carrying out officially required protective vaccination
(§ 2a (3) ADA)
e.g.: Bluetongue
Private veterinarians
Examination activities

Animal Health Act (§ 2 (6) AHA)
Unless official veterinarians are available in sufficient numbers for
measures falling under this federal act, the provincial governor
shall appoint free-lance veterinarians. Preferably, he shall
make use of veterinarians resident in the respective political
district …
example: Poultry Hygiene Regulation (attending veterinarian),
BVD-Regulation



IBR/IPV-Act (IBR/IPV-ExaminationReg.)
Brucellosis Act (Brucellosis-ExaminationReg.)
Bovine Leukosis Act (Bovine Leukosis-ExaminationReg.
2008)
Private Veterinarians
Animal Health

Issue of Certificates (§ 45 (8) EBVO)
Any freelance veterinarian who legitimately practices
his profession and has his practice in Austria, as well as
the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna is entitled to
issue a Pet Pass in accordance with Reg (EC) No.
998/2003 in connection with Decision 2003/803/EC.
More than 100,000 Pet Passes delivered
Para-Professionals:

Milk sampling by qualified persons
§ 2 (6) Animal Health Act
-> § 3 BVD-Regulation
§ 2 (3) Bovine Leukosis Act
-> § 2 (2) Bovine Leukosis Examination Reg.

§ 2b Animal Disease Act: Disinfection assisstants
§ 2b (1) The Provincial Governor shall provide for a
supply of specially trained persons and suitable
equipment .
Meat Inspection
(2006)
279 public official vets (central administration,
provinces, districts)
 1 099 official vets (meat inspection)

29 meat inspectors
 151 official inspectors for Trichinella


40 company staff workers for inspection of
poultry meat

25 043 trained persons for game meat
inspection
Structure of establishments

501 large scale establishments
(slaughtering/year over 1000 LStU or 250 t meat
cutting/year)
—
—
—
—

132
279
159
236
slaughterhouses
cutting plants
cold stores
meat processing plants
10 600 small scale establishments
—4800 slaughterhouses
Number of inspected carcases in
2006











54 185 400 chicken
5 282 015 pigs
2 068 684 turkeys
595 672 cattle
106 761 sheep
87 091 calves
15 253 other poultry (ducks, geese)
3 283 goats
2 850 farmed game ruminats
915 horses
574 farmed game boars
Number of inspected wild game
carcases in 2006






306 295 deer
201 000 wild poultry
125 000 hares
42 148 red deer
19 754 boars
17 793 chamois
VETERINÄRINFORMATIONSSYSTEM (VIS)
Veterinärdaten
EU
Labor (z.B. AGES)
Ldw. Betrieb
oder
x/y Koordinate
Probe
Zentralveterinärbehörde
Probenergebnis
Betreuungs- und Kontrollbesuch
Untersuchung und Probe sowie Untersuchungsergebnis
Programmteilnahmen und Programmergebnisse
Veterinärmaßnahmen (z.B. Sperren)
Veterinär
Betreuungs- und Kontrollbesuch
- TKZVO Schwein, Schaf, Ziege
- Tiergesundheit
- Tierkrankheit aufgrund Monitoring
- Tierkrankheit aufgrund Verdacht
- Rückstandsverdacht
- Rückstandsmonitoring
Programm
- 1782/2002 (CC)
- EU Programme
- Tiergesundheitsprogramme
- TGD Programme
D
Tierkrankheit
- Untersuchung
- Probe
- Probenergebnis
- Untersuchungsergebnis
Programmteilnahmen
Programmergebnisse (Gesundheitsstatus)
Untersuchung
Probe
E
C
J
rückwärts
B
Sperre
A
I
vorwärts
F
G
Ausgangsbetrieb
primäre Kontaktbetriebe
H
sekundäre Kontaktbetriebe
Schlachtbetrieb
Links for further information:
Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, Familie und Jugend
Ministry of Health, Family and Youth
www.bmgfj.gv.at
Österreichische Tierärztekammer/ Austrian Veterinary
Chamber
www.tieraerztekammer.at
Information about the Austrian Animal Health Service
www.bmgfj.gv.at/cms/site/thema.html?channel=CH0925
or
www.tgd.at
Thank you for your Attention