Prevention of zoonotic animal diseases: a step towards co-operation among Nordic authorities?

Abstract

Aim: With globalisation, the spreading and consequences of serious animal diseases will become an increasingly realistic threat, also to Nordic countries, their food animals and consumers. It has already been suggested that it might be useful to establish an army to manage all co-operations among countries, for instance, for medical co-operation needs. In light of this, it might also be important to guarantee the security of animal products and to fight together against animal diseases, some of which are potentially dangerous for human beings. The aim of this study was to investigate how the laws concerning animal diseases construct the reality of co-operation among authorities in different Nordic countries. Subjects and Methods: The laws were qualitatively analysed in the framework of discourse analysis. Results: The different situations in different Nordic countries were introduced. Uniform legislation among Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway was missing. Conclusion: In the future, the potential for real co-operation among not only authorities on the national level but also with those from different countries should be investigated.