The European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD) is a Commission of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. It is developing the GET Prepared toolbox as a response to the gaps identified in emergency preparedness during outbreaks of transboundary animal diseases. The concept was developed in collaboration with DG SANTE Directorates and EuFMD Member Nations (MN) to facilitate the work of contingency planners and to promote their networking.
Description
The GET Prepared Wall is divided into four layers – Foundation, Alert, Emergency and Reconstruction, made of “bricks” containing relevant resources and examples of good practice, including guidelines, templates, videos, webinar recordings, checklists, video tutorials and job-aids. Although some of the tools are focused on foot-and-mouth disease, others are generic or adapted for other FAST (Foot-and-mouth and Similar Transboundary animal Diseases) such as lumpy skin disease, Peste des petits ruminants, sheep pox / goat pox and Rift Valley fever.
The Wall currently contains resources in the following bricks: Simulation exercises, Clinical examination, Sampling, Humane killing of animals, Disposal and Vaccination. Contents for an additional five bricks are under development and will be available soon.
The GET Prepared Wall was restructured in 2022 and migrated to a Trello board to enable easy updating and continuous improvement of the contents. Therefore, the Wall should be considered as a live structure, allowing easy maintenance and regular updating of the existing resources in accordance with the needs and requirements of the EuFMD MNs.
Benefits
Some of the benefits of using the GET Prepared Wall are:
- Support for contingency planning and responding to outbreaks;
- An online platform that can be easily accessed and navigated by users;
- A comprehensive review of the current resources for emergency preparedness and planning, and ready-made templates which are easy to adapt for local use in the case of an emergency of FAST (Foot-and-mouth and Similar Transboundary animal Diseases) diseases;
- It contains decision-making and assessment tools enabling contingency planners to properly estimate local situations and requirements in advance of an emergency to enable development and review of preparedness plans;
- It provides a list of all available EuFMD training, courses and learning material needed for continuous education of key personnel involved in emergency preparedness and responses;
- It is a ‘Work in progress’ – to be regularly updated based on the development of new resources and needs of the MNs.
The toolbox is accessible on the Trello board https://trello.com/b/SrsgHKzM/get-prepared-the-wall
Contact
If you need any additional information or assistance, please contact: EuFMD-training@fao.org

The overall objectives of the BTSF Training Programme/Course on
- A common and consistent understanding and application of key definitions and concepts of the new AHL,
- A harmonised and cross-border response to a serious multi-country animal health incident.
- To identify best practice approaches to respond to ASF outbreaks
- To identify best practice to manage the wild boar population in the framework of ASF prevention, control and eradication in the short and long-terms
Content
The course addresses the following topics:
- Epidemiology of ASF in domestic pigs and wild boars;
- Special disease control rules related to ASF in domestic pigs;
- Preparedness in domestic pigs ans wild boars
- Impact of ASF on the agricultural-forest activities and long term management of the wild boar;
- ASF awareness raising and communication with targeted stakeholders, such as farmers and hunters
Target audience
This Training Programme has been designed for the profiles and positions described below. Please verify compliance with the selection criteria before submitting or validating applications.
• Responsible for African Swine Fever management at the regional and central level
• Experience in the enforcement of animal health standards at the field level
- DG SANTE, HaDEA, Contractor, NCPs, officials, others.
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Additional text target audience.
Calendar and locations
Session | Start Date | End Date | City | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16/05/2023 | 19/05/2023 | Vilnius | Lithuania |

The overall objectives of the BTSF Training Programme on
Content
The course addresses the following topics:
- Topic 1. Legislation
- Topic 2. Early warning
- Topic 3. Contingency planning
- Topic 4. Animal disease control
- Topic 5. Regionalisation
Target audience
This Training Programme has been designed for the profiles and positions described below
- DG SANTE, HaDEA, Contractor, NCPs, officials, others.
Calendar and locations
Session | Topic | Start Date | End Date | City | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | codex alimentarius | 29/11/2021 | 03/12/2021 | Almaty | Kazakhstan (online) |
2 | PPR | 14/03/2022 | 18/03/2022 | Casablanca | Morocco (Online) |
3 | Plants | 27/06/2022 | 01/07/2022 | Bangkok | Thailand |
4 | codex alimentarius | 11/10/2022 | 14/10/2022 | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia |
5 | Plants | 24/08/2022 | 28/08/2022 | Nairobi | Kenya |
6 | Animal | 06/02/2023 | 10/02/2023 | Tashkent | Uzbekistan |
7 | Animal | 13/07/2023 | 18/07/2023 | Manila | Philippines |

The Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA, formerly Chafea) and the European Commission's Directorate General for Health and Food Safety organised a set of 15 training sessions in the field of Animal disease preparedness, including early warning, contingency planning and animal disease control as part of the Better Training for Safer Food initiative. In total, 450 participants coming from selected Member States and other countries have been be invited.
The overall objectives of the
- To provide for a common understanding of the current state of play of tools suitable to address emerging animal diseases (including zoonoses), and the related early reaction veterinary interventions.
- To increase the efficacy of veterinary services in protecting the EU territory against the occurrence of emerging animal diseases.
- To give the opportunity to the trainees to compare key elements of contingency plans and other preparedness elements elaborated by their respective Member States in order to identify and share best practices.
Target audience
This Training Programme has been designed for the profiles and positions described below. Please verify compliance with the selection criteria before submitting or validating applications.
- Officials from relevant competent authorities involved in policy making, planning and control at central or regional level, on terrestrial or aquatic animal health, intra-EU trade of terrestrial or aquatic animals and germinal products and imports of live animals, products of animal origin and germinal products and
- Member State veterinary services staff with adequate professional experience, familiar with the relevant EU legislation and animal disease surveillance and the most modern and effective control measures.
Participants must meet the minimum requirements below to ensure they can follow and fully participate:
- In a position to provide training to other colleagues and share the experience following their attendance to the training.
- To understand and speak English in order to participate actively in the training session.
Calendar and locations
Session | Start Date | End Date | City | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 12/09/2022 | 16/09/2022 | Riga | Latvia |
2 | 24/10/2022 | 28/10/2022 | Sofia | Bulgaria |
3 | 14/11/2022 | 18/11/2022 | Utrecht | The Netherlands |
4 | 05/12/2022 | 09/12/2022 | Venice | Italy |
5 | 16/01/2023 | 20/01/2023 | Venice | Italy |
6 | 13/02/2023 | 17/02/2023 | Utrecht | The Netherlands |
7 | 13/03/2023 | 17/03/2023 | Sofia | Bulgaria |
8 | 17/04/2023 | 21/04/2023 | Riga | Latvia |
9 | 08/05/2023 | 12/05/2023 | Sofia | Bulgaria |
10 | 12/06/2023 | 16/06/2023 | Riga | Latvia |
11 | 18/09/2023 | 22/09/2023 | Riga | Latvia |
12 | 16/10/2023 | 20/10/2023 | Utrecht | The Netherlands |
13 | 13/11/2023 | 17/11/2023 | Venice | Italy |
14 | 11/12/2023 | 15/12/2023 | Venice | Italy |
15 | 15/01/2024 | 19/01/2024 | Utrecht | The Netherlands |

The overall objectives of the BTSF Training Programme/Course on
To prepare, hold and evaluate inter-sectorial table top simulation exercises on out-break coordination and crisis response involving agri-food chain authorities, and where needed, public health authorities, as well as crisis coordinators.
Specific objectives
- Contribute to the implementation of existing EU legislation related to crisis management in food/feed, animals and plants, especially in the areas of preparedness and response planning, monitoring, surveillance, crisis management, risk and crisis communication and inter-sectoral cooperation;
- Test the standard operating procedures in place, both with Member States and EU agencies, as well as internally in the European Commission
- Identify responsibilities and roles of all stakeholders in outbreak management;
- Take into account the transmission of information between involved departments at national, EU and international level;
- Coordinate necessary risk management measures and response at national and EU level.
- This Training Programme has been designed for the profiles and positions described below. Please verify compliance with the selection criteria before submitting or validating applications.
Target audience
- Participants from the Competent Authority in animal disease crisis preparedness and management (preferably both from central and regional level) in the chosen field. When possible, each country should provide the participants working in or as:
- Animal health: contingency planning or animal disease crisis coordinator.
- Minimum requirements for the course on animal disease crisis management coordination and response in the animal healthsectors
- Minimum 3 years of professional experience in official control on animal health or animal disease contingency planning and animal disease control and eradication
- Competent authority responsible for investigation and/or management of animal disease outbreaks
- Fluent in English.
Calendar and locations
Session | Start Date | End Date | City | Course |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 31/01/2022 | 02/02/2022 | Online | Online |
Cancelled | 14/03/2022 | 16/03/2022 | Canceled | Canceled |
2 | 09/05/2022 | 11/05/2022 | Online | Online |
Canceled | 08/11/2022 | 10/11/2022 | Brussels | Belgium |
3 | 30/05/2023 | 01/06/2023 | Brussels | Belgium |
4 | 19/09/2023 | 21/09/2023 | Canceled | Canceled |
5 | 31/10/2023 | 02/11/2023 | Brussels | Belgium |

The overall objectives of the BTSF Training Programme/Course on
- to strengthen the understanding of and to ensure compliance with the new animal health law and the special control measures for African swine fever
- to enhance capacities to prevent, control and eradicate ASF especially in wild boar
- to deliver a coordinated response to a serious animal health issue that affects various EU MS and might spread further in terms of a common and consistent understanding and application of key definitions and concepts of the new AHL and a harmonised and cross-border response to a serious multi-country animal health incident
- To identify best practice approaches to respond to ASF outbreaks
- To identify best practice to manage the wild boar population in the framework of ASF prevention, control and eradication in the short and long-terms
Content
The course addresses the following topics:
- New Animal Health Law, ASF Legislation and EU Guidelines
- ASF Prevention and Control, EU Strategic approach, Movement Restrictions in the restricted zones
- ASF Best Practices, Lesson Learned and Long- Term Experience in fighting ASF
Target audience
This Training Programme has been designed for the profiles and positions described below. Please verify compliance with the selection criteria before submitting or validating applications.
- official veterinarians working in the regional authorities
Calendar and locations
Session | Start Date | End Date | City | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 01/03/2022 | 03/03/2022 | ONLINE | ONLINE |
