Wageningen Bioveterinary Research retains FAO Reference Centre status in fight against FMD

NETHERLANDS – Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR), part of Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, has secured its status as a global leader in animal disease prevention with the renewal of its designation as a FAO Reference Centre for Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and Veterinary Epidemiology. 

The announcement was made on 30 April 2025, confirming a five-year extension by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

This designation reaffirms WBVR’s critical role in international efforts to improve diagnostic tests, strengthen veterinary services, and develop science-based disease control strategies. 

The research institute is now set to continue its contribution to a global network of FAO FMD laboratories, focused on advancing knowledge and capacity to combat infectious livestock diseases.

“We are proud to share that our status as FAO Reference Centre for Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and Veterinary Epidemiology has been extended for another five years,” the institute announced.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious viral illness affecting cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep. 

Characterised by fever and painful blisters, FMD can cause significant economic losses in agriculture due to reduced productivity and trade restrictions, even though the disease is rarely fatal in adult animals. 

While the Netherlands has remained FMD-free for years, recent outbreaks in neighbouring Germany and Eastern Europe have highlighted the continued importance of vigilance.

“Even though the Netherlands has been free of FMD for quite some time, recent findings in Germany and Eastern Europe underline the importance of continuous surveillance and international knowledge sharing,” said Aldo Dekker, WBVR’s senior researcher on FMD. 

“Working together within an international network contributes to this and enables us to make progress in combating this disease, especially in countries where FMD is endemic.”

WBVR’s Veterinary Epidemiology department is equally central to its role as a Reference Centre. 

The department supports the FAO through risk assessments, disease modelling, and the creation of surveillance guidelines for livestock diseases, including zoonotic threats, those capable of spreading from animals to humans.

“We also inform FAO with regard to epidemiologic studies,” explained Armin Elbers, veterinary epidemiologist at WBVR. “We provide the FAO with updates on changing epidemiological situations and any identified risks to animal or human health.”

Supporting FAO’s mission

FAO Reference Centres operate within a framework of 28 thematic areas considered essential to the organisation’s mission. 

WBVR’s contributions directly support global animal health, reinforcing the FAO’s mandate to build resilience and reduce disease risks through scientific collaboration and expertise sharing.

WBVR’s director, Annemarie Rebel, emphasised the institute’s dedication to its renewed responsibilities. 

“We are proud that our expertise in FMD and Veterinary Epidemiology has been recognised and that we’ve been granted the extension to continue as a FAO Reference Centre in both domains,” she said. “We will do our utmost to provide FAO with the support needed in both areas of expertise.”

This renewed recognition marks not just a continuation but also a deepening of WBVR’s mission: to promote the health of animals and humans through science-based prevention and control of animal diseases. 

As animal health issues increasingly intersect with global trade, food security, and public health, the work of institutions like WBVR is more vital than ever.

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