BIO-CRIME: Tackling illegal pet trade on both sides of the Austrian-Italian border

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The illegal trade of pets is a problem that should not be underestimated because it poses a real danger to public health. In addition to commercial and ethical issues, the illegal trade of animals carries a high risk of introducing serious diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. In fact, animals bought on the black market are not subject to any health checks and may even come from infected areas.Paolo Zucca, Project Lead Partner, Central Health Directorate for Social and Health Integration, Social Policies and Family of the Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia-GiuliaWith the help of EU funding, BIO-CRIME brought together authorities from the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Italy and Carinthia, Austria to better tackle the ongoing illegal pet trade in the area. Through the project’s efforts, regional authorities from both countries have adopted and implemented a set of best practices into their health and risk reduction protocols to handle cases more effectively and protect the region’s population.Tracking and trainingThe project led to the development of a real-time alert system that notifies the relevant public and police authorities whenever a case of illegal animal trade is uncovered. This system not only enables a jointly coordinated and more efficient response, but significantly reduces the risk of potential animal diseases being spread in the region. By continuously gathering data, the system is improving access to zoonotic health and crime data for health services, customs and other authorities in both countries.Over 1 000 public and police officers from both countries attended theoretical and practical BIO-CRIME training programs to educate them on health prevention, animal handling and the risks of animal-borne diseases, or zoonoses, affecting humans. A secure web platform for public officials and police officers has been set up to facilitate cross-border coordination.Joint operating protocols have been developed to ensure a common approach to dealing with cases of illegal pet trade. For example, authorities from both regions have adopted a common epidemiological surveillance method for confiscated animals. Cross-border inspections, with police and customs officials from both countries in attendance, are done on illegally traded animals.Education and participationAn important part of the project efforts is educating children. Information sessions on health prevention when interacting with animals have been organised on both sides of the border.To assess the value of these sessions and children’s basic knowledge on the risks of zoonoses and the illegal pet trade, the project has developed a questionnaire. Over 600 students from both regions, but also from schools in Germany and Slovenia, participated, generating important data for the project to work with. A YouTube educational channel has been set up to inform the region’s inhabitants on the impact of the illegal pet trade.The project is led by the Veterinary Public Health Service of the Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, in collaboration with three other partner institutes from the Alps-Adriatic Region, all of which are active in the veterinary, health and animal risk prevention sectors.Both Friuli-Venezia-Giulia and Carinthia are transit areas for the trade, which mainly originates in Eastern European countries. The illegal pet trade is considered a transnational organised crime, as crime in one country affects one or several other countries.VideosBIO-CRIMETotal investment and EU fundingTotal investment for the project “BIO-CRIME - Animal-borne diseases (zoonoses) and illegal trade in pets/dogs in the Alps-Adriatic region (animal welfare)” is EUR 1 117 300, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 949 705 through the “Interreg V-A - Italy-Austria” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “6c”.