On 23 and 24 March 2026, the European Commission's Directorate for Health and Food Audits and Analysis (DG SANTE F) hosted a workshop in Grange, Ireland, to reflect on lessons learned from the One Health fact-finding visits on serious zoonotic threats conducted by its Unit F2. The workshop brought together Commission officials from DG SANTE, DG RTD and DG Employment, alongside experts from ECDC, EFSA and EMA and Member State authorities. Belgium, Finland, Greece, Italy and Denmark officials shared national experiences and good practices, and academic contributions were provided by Professor Ilaria Capua, Professor Richard Kock and Professor Tony Holohan.
Since 2024, DG SANTE has conducted 12 fact-finding visits across 11 Member States, covering two series: one on SARS-CoV-2 and avian influenza in fur animal farms, and one on zoonotic avian influenza in animals, run alongside Commission audits on avian influenza in poultry. These visits draw on Directorate F's systems audit methodology to assess One Health implementation from the national level down to regional and local level, including farms and laboratories. Since 2025, the visits can also run alongside ECDC's Public Health Emergency Preparedness Assessments, strengthening the One Health capacity of those assessments. The visits are important tools for identifying blind spots, documenting good practices and generating critical field-level evidence to inform public health policy and build preparedness resilience — and by bringing together human, animal, environmental, occupational health and other experts actively support the cross-sector relationships that underpin the One Health approach.
The visits take place against a backdrop of growing zoonotic risk. Climate change, urbanisation, industrial animal farming and increasing contact between humans, domestic animals and wildlife are driving a new wave of serious threats. Avian influenza has spread across species at an unprecedented rate in recent years, making an effective One Health response more necessary than ever. The visits have shown that while ambition for a multisectoral approach to prevention and response is generally high at national level, it is regularly diluted by the time it reaches regional and local authorities. Occupational health services are frequently among the weakest links in multisectoral structures; high-risk groups as defined by authorities do not always include everyone with direct exposure to infected animals; and uptake of seasonal influenza vaccination among high- risk workers and farmers (e.g poultry) appears to be low and difficult to record systematically.
Several Member States have developed approaches from which others can learn. Belgium has used national simulation exercises for avian influenza to strengthen cross-sector responses. Finland developed an effective PPE strategy to protect workers during a large avian influenza epidemic on fur farms. Denmark has integrated its animal and human health reference laboratory structures, and Greece applied a successful joint surveillance approach during COVID-19 mink outbreaks. These examples demonstrate that practical, scalable solutions exist and that peer learning across Member States is a valuable lever for improving preparedness.
As Professor Tony Holohan outlined in his closing remarks, One Health falls short not because expertise or goodwill are lacking, but because institutional structures fragment responsibility; information does not flow in real time; and no one owns the interface between sectors. Making One Health a practical reality requires investment in sustained working relationships, shared workflows and an honest recognition that many zoonotic threats originate within systems — e.g. food production, land use — that cut across several sectors. The SANTE F2 fact-finding visits represent precisely the kind of investment needed to support the operationalisation of the One Health approach across the EU.
Presentations:
- Circular Health and its application to Avian Influenza
Johns Hopkins University - SAIS Europe - SANTE F2 One Health Fact-Finding Visits – Outcomes and lessons learned
European Commission - DG Health and Food Safety - One Health implementation- Avian influenza
European Commission - DG Health and Food Safety - One Health Governance – EU foundations, priorities and perspectives
European Commission - DG Health and Food Safety - Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the EU - Disease situation in animals and measures in the EU legal framework for animal health
European Commission - DG Health and Food Safety - Simulation exercises in the framework of One Health - Experiences in BE
Experiences in Belgium - Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) - When Policy Meets Practice: the One Health fact finding visits
European Commission - DG Health and Food Safety - Coordinated One Health investigation and management of zoonotic avian influenza
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) - Results of One Health Research to Policy workshop, mapping of initiatives
European Commission - DG Research and Innovation - Directive 2000/54/EC on the protection of workers from risks related to exposure to HPAI
European Commission - DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion - One Health laboratory structure
Statens Serum Institut (Denmark) - SARS-CoV-2 Joint Surveillance in Mink Farms in Greece
Ministry of Rural Development & Food (Greece) - Italian Expert Group on early detection of influenza virus strains with zoonotic potential
Ministry of health (Italy) - MS experience, Finland: Health and occupational safety during avian influenza outbreaks in fur animals
Animal Health and Welfare Department - Finnish Food Authority - Environment, ecosystems and wildlife in the context of zoonoses and zoonotic origin diseases of humans
Wildlife Disease Association - Avian influenza vaccines availability and current regulatory framework for emergency preparedness
European Medicines Agency
Details
- Publication date
- 27 April 2026
- Author
- Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety