On 20 June, the 3 EURCAWs hosted the Common EURCAW meeting for the National Reference Centres (NRCs) & Supporting Bodies (SBs). At the start of the meeting, the EURCAWs presented highlights of their current activities. The next session introduced two relatively new NRCs for Animal Welfare – Spain (established in March 2023) and Slovenia (established in January 2022).  The National Centre Group for Animal Welfare (NCGAW) then led an interactive session. The NCGAW currently comprises six NRCs for Animal Welfare: France (coordinator), Finland, Greece, Italy, Sweden, and Spain. The final session of the meeting considered, ‘Ways to Collaborate’ where the EURCAWs presented priority topics that they would welcome collaboration from the NRCs and SBs. In total 42 participants from 15 Member States participated, including 14 members from the three EURCAWs.   The report is available here.  The slides from this meeting are available here. 

The Slovenian capital Ljubljana was the venue for the annual rabies meeting organised by EURL on June 21-22, 2023. This year’s edition was marked by great joy for the reunion and very constructive exchanges on various rabies topics as well as on future joint work. In addition to the representative of the European Commission, Thierry Chalus, and representatives of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) (formerly known as “OIE”), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the EURL team was pleased to welcome Florence Cliquet, WOAH/WHO Rabies expert and  Guillaume Crozet from the Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort. Presentations given during the workshop will be uploaded to the EURL website soon (accessible only to members of the network). Finally, the EURL team would like to sincerely thank all the participants as well as all the people who contributed in one way or another to the organisation of this wonderful event.

The 2023 session of the inter-laboratory test (ILT) for rabies diagnosis has ended. Samples have been dispatched to more than thirty laboratories who registered to take part to this ILT. The objective of this interlaboratory test was to evaluate the rabies diagnosis conclusion of participating laboratories. Techniques used were reference technique used under routine condition. Deadline for submission of the results was June 19, 2023. The EURL Team wishes the best to all participants and remains available in the eventuality of any questions or demands regarding this test.

The EURL for Listeria monocytogenes  (Lm) together with the Italian, the Hungarian NRLs and the Dutch associated NRL have developed a PCR test for the rapid and inexpensive (10€ reagent cost) identification of 30 Lm strains Multi locus sequence typing clonal complexes (CC). It has already been used in Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Hungary to investigate the origin of human cases of listeriosis.  The project was conducted by a working group of 11 NRLs (BE, CH, CY, DE, IT, NL (RIVM and WFSR), PT, SK, SE, SI) that shaped the method to fit with their needs.  This is a significant step forward compared with the method normally used, multilocus sequencing typing (MLST), which requires three to five days of analysis and costs €150 per strain tested.    Already four training sessions were organised on the method for the NRLs CY, GR, HU, MK, PT, XK. The EURL Lm re-conducts every year the budget to finance their organisation.    Identify the 30 most common strain groups "The test we have developed can identify the 30 Listeria monocytogenes CC, known as clonal complexes, most commonly found in food in Europe" explains Benjamin Félix, project leader of the EURL for Lm. "Our method is very useful for countries that don't have the financial resources to carry out routine sequencing of whole genomes, or when a large number of samples need to be analysed, as it can be used to quickly make an initial selection."  This new method was published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum in May - link. An example of its use: fish-based products responsible for listeriosis in the Netherlands Reference laboratories in several European countries have already been trained in this new method, showing its value in real-life situations. For example, the Dutch food safety authority used the test to determine the source of listeriosis cases that have been reported in the last few years. Two manufacturers of fish-based products were suspected of being behind the contamination. Samples were taken from areas of the plants most at risk of contamination, such as cutting machines, trays and conveyor belts. Thanks to the speed and low cost of the PCR test, it was possible to run 200 analyses in order to select six strains for priority sequencing. This then identified the plant responsible for the contamination.  

In order to assist Food Business Operators (FBOs) producing RTE foods to comply with (EC) Regulation No 2073/2005, former DG SANCO developed and made available in 2008 a Guidance Document on Lm shelf-life studies for RTE foods, designated as “draft”. This document may also be used by Competent Authorities to verify the correct implementation of shelf-life studies by FBOs. Since then, Regulation 2073/2005 has been modified, a new standard on challenge test has been published (EN ISO 20976-1, 2019) and new or revised EURL Lm guidance documents have been released. It is therefore necessary to update this guidance document and to adopt it formally by PAFF Committee. DG SANTE requested EURL Lm to conduct this revision. A WG created in 2022 and led by EURL Lm, composed of 16 participants from Competent Authorities, NRLs from 7 EU Member States and Norway is responsible for drafting the new guidance document. It is planned, during its drafting, to keep the Food Business Operators informed of the progress of the document and to collect their opinions to better meet their expectations. Last week took place the 4th meeting of the working group in Maisons-Alfort.

The 2023 session of the Inter laboratory test (ILT) for rabies diagnosis is about to begin. The shipping of sample panels is scheduled for the 15th of May. Thirty-four panels will be sent to participating laboratories among the EURL network. Laboratories, which have not totally complied with documentation requirements, must ensure compliance before May 14th 2023. Submission of the results will have to made through a digital survey on a dedicated server.

 During two half days, the beautiful city of Ljubljana will welcome the participants of the annual meeting organized by the EURL for rabies on 21 and 22 June 2023. Dedicated to the current situation of rabies control and surveillance in EU, as well as progress on laboratory techniques and feedback on previous ILT sessions, the fourteen edition of the Workshop for rabies will be an exiting event allowing more than 60 scientist from the entire EURL network to meet and interact all together. See you soon in Slovenia!    

AlimOmic co-organisait avec Dr. Stephane Bayen, Dr. Gaud Dervilly et Dr. Christophe Cordella un colloque sur les techniques modernes d'analyse des aliments dans le cadre de l'ACFAS. Julien Parinet était conférencier invité, ce qui lui a permis de présenter les travaux réalisés via AlimOmic