On 1 July 2024, the Federal Office of Consumer Health (BAVG) assumed responsibility for the authorisation and inspection of non-governmental establishments and institutes in accordance with Section 30 of the Animal Health Act 2024 (TGG 2024). If these non-governmental establishments and institutes work with infectious pathogens of notifiable animal diseases, authorisation from the BAVG is required.

In Austria, the handling of contagious pathogens of animal diseases is generally reserved for Austrian universities and other state scientific laboratories as well as AGES.

Specific requirements and regulations that must be complied with can be found in Annex 2 of the Animal Health Act 2024.

Non-governmental establishments and institutes are only authorised to use infectious pathogens of notifiable animal diseases if this is done as part of research and development measures or for vaccine production and a permit has been issued for this by the Federal Office of Consumer Health or a permit has been issued for this in accordance with the Ordinance of the Federal Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of 25 February 1970 regulating the conduct of scientific experiments for research into notifiable animal diseases at non-governmental establishments and institutes. February 1970, which regulates the performance of scientific experiments for the research of notifiable animal diseases at non-governmental establishments and institutes, Federal Law Gazette No. 91/1970.

Non-governmental establishments and institutes that carry out diagnostic tests for the presence of an animal disease must report this before commencing these tests, stating the diseases that are being diagnosed.

The authorisation must be applied for via laboratorien@bavg.gv.at and must contain all information necessary for the assessment. In particular, it must also ensure and justify

• that the work or experiments are carried out in such a way as to exclude the risk of spreading the disease, also taking into account the international epidemiological situation
• that a responsible veterinarian or another suitable person who has completed a scientific degree is responsible for this work and is employed on site.

The following conditions in particular may be imposed in the authorisation notice:

• the isolation, cleaning and disinfection of any laboratory animal housing and work rooms,
• the handling of objects taken out of the test facilities,
• Precautions to be observed by personnel when leaving the test facilities (such as cleaning the body, changing clothes),
• the disease-proof utilisation or harmless disposal of waste, animal carcasses or other test materials,
• the decontamination of waste water,
• any sterilisation of the exhaust air

Additional authorisation from the Federal Office of Consumer Health is required for the import and transit of pathogens of notifiable animal diseases from third countries and for the introduction of pathogens of notifiable animal diseases from Member States of the European Union.

See import licence

The Federal Office of Consumer Health is also authorised to carry out official inspections on farms that handle infectious animal disease pathogens. For this purpose, the Federal Office of Consumer Health may call in staff from the National Reference Laboratory.

If a laboratory carries out tests for an animal disease and these tests are not negative, it must immediately inform the competent authority in accordance with Section 36 para. 1 TGG 2024. The competent authority may order the existing samples and any isolates to be sent to the reference laboratory to be designated by it. At the request of the competent authority, the laboratory must provide it with all available information on the non-negative sample and any available data, in particular on the place of origin of the sample. The Federal Minister of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection may, by ordinance, specify the content and scope of the information to be provided in any case with regard to individual animal diseases.