World Organization for Animal Health Platform on Animal Welfare for Europe Survey on Veterinary Service Preparedness for Natural Disasters

Abstract

Introduction:National Veterinary Services of World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) are responsible for a wide range of activities including animal health, animal welfare and veterinary public health. The WOAH European Region member countries were surveyed to determine and quantify the level of capacity to respond to natural disasters, determine the types of disasters experienced, determine their levels of education and training and identify gaps in capacity and specific needs of Member Countries for disaster response.Method:A web-based Qualtrics survey on Animal Welfare in Natural Disasters was conducted by Lincoln Memorial University in conjunction with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Platform on Animal Welfare for Europe. The 50 question survey was distributed by email link to Member Countries points of contact provide by OIE. The survey was emailed to 53 OIE European Member Countries with reminder emails to complete. Survey results were compiled and tabulated. Only aggregate data is published and presented.Results:Forty-nine countries responded to the survey for a 92% completion rate. Floods, earthquakes and fire were the three most commonly encountered disasters. Fifty-two percent indicated they incorporated animal welfare into their disaster planning. Thirty-one percent indicated they had no or limited legal authority to manage animal emergencies in natural disasters. The species covered in the national response plan ranged from laboratory animals at 17% to livestock at 48%. Eighty-two percent had no or limited standard operating procedures and 73% had no training to respond to animal welfare in disasters. Budgets, trained personnel, equipment/supplies and legal authority were the most frequently identified gapsConclusion:The survey demonstrated there is a wide range of European Member Countries capacity to respond to animal welfare in natural disasters. This provides the baseline for the OIE Platform for Animal Welfare Europe to provide focused and actionable support to Member Countries