We are pleased to share a new Thematic Factsheet focused on the most relevant environmental enrichment for rabbit welfare on farm.   For each category of environmental enrichment including physical, occupational, nutritional, social, and sensory elements, the main critical issues and recommendations are highlighted.   For more information see the rabbits on-farm welfare webpage.

New EU Guidance on Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Foods Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/2895, which amends Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 regarding Listeria monocytogenes is set to come into effect on 1 July 2026. To assist food businesses in meeting this new requirements, the European Commission recently published a new GUIDANCE DOCUMENT on Listeria monocytogenes monitoring and shelf-life studies for ready-to-eat foods under Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 of 15 November 2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs.    Purpose and scope This guidance is primarily directed at food business operators (FBOp) who produce ready-to-eat (RTE) foods and conduct related L. monocytogenes shelf-life studies in accordance with Article 3(2) and Annex II of Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs. Beyond manufacturers, it can also assist competent authorities conducting official controls on these food business operators and serve as a resource for third parties laboratories or consultants involved in performing L. monocytogenes shelf-life studies.   Closing the Legislative Gap Under the current framework, Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 does not establish a specific limit for L. monocytogenes in Category 1.2 ready-to-eat foods that are able to support the growth of L. monocytogenes if they are sampled after they have left the immediate control of the food business operator that produced them, and when the operator cannot demonstrate that the limit of 100 cfu/g will not be exceeded throughout the product's shelf life. To address this legislative gap, Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/2895 extends the criterion limit of "L. monocytogenes not detected in 25 g" for "ready-to-eat foods able to support the growth of L. monocytogenes, other than those intended for infants and for special medical purposes” as laid down under food category 1.2 in Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005.   Compliance and Shelf-Life Validation Food businesses that produce ready-to-eat foods capable of supporting the growth of L. monocytogenes, and which do not undergo heat treatment or other processes capable of eliminating L. monocytogenes during production, must be able to demonstrate that their products will remain compliant with the requirements of Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 throughout the shelf-life of the product. To support food business operators in understanding the growth behaviour of L. monocytogenes in the ready-to-eat foods they produce in order to set a safe shelf-life for their products, the new guidance document provides recommendations on: to classify and adequately label their food products as RTE or non-RTE foods, to determine which Lm food safety criterion applies to their food products, to decide on when and which shelf-life studies are needed with respect to Lm to demonstrate that their food products will comply with the Lm criteria until the end of the shelf-life, to validate, verify (initial verification and regular verification) and document that such shelf life studies are adequate to respect the applicable Lm food safety criterion, the options to collaborate in conducting such shelf-life studies.

 A new 'Question to EURCAW' (Q2E) has been published on “Pre-stun shocks in waterbath stunning of Poultry”.   To see more, take a look at https://zenodo.org/records/18257644 and at our Question to EURCAW's subpage! 

A new 'Question to EURCAW' (Q2E) has been published on “Duck catching".   To see more, take a look at https://zenodo.org/records/18160993 and at our Question to EURCAW's subpage! 

Competent Authorities, inspectors and policy workers from EU Member States can ask EURCAW-Poultry-SFA scientific and technical questions they may have regarding poultry and small farmed animals’ welfare. The other EURCAWs provide a similar service for their species: Pigs, Aqua, and Ruminants and Equines. These ‘Questions to EURCAW’ (Q2Es) are regularly submitted and answers are published online. Unfortunately, sometimes the research literature is unclear or even lacking on some important questions. In those cases, “further research is necessary”. The four EURCAWs have been invited by the EU Partnership on Animal Health and Welfare (link) to submit urgent research needs. The Partnership is currently revising its Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), and will consider new important topics. Fingers crossed that these questions from MS officials will be answered in the future, through sound science!                 

On December 15th, 2025, the four EURCAWs organized an online workshop entitled EURCAW novel ‘welfare inspection support tool’ for the EU Animal Welfare Member State official inspectors/officials. A total of 13 participants attended the workshop. Excluding EURCAW members, 8 participants from 8 EU Member States were present. The workshop used a co-design process to ensure that the tool addressed the established needs of official inspectors, as an end-user. Three key elements were explored through the co-design process: -  The primary purposes for using the inspection tool. -  The types of content official inspectors expect to access through the tool. -  The technical and technological features that should be incorporated into the tool.

This note presents an update of the geographical distribution and spread of Tropilaelaps spp. mites, parasites of bees and exotic in the European Union (EU), as of 11 December 2025. It can be downloaded as a pdf here. Previous states of play of the geographical distribution are available here. The presence of Tropilaelaps spp. has been reported in the autonomous Republic of Abkhazia and in the Russian Republic of Dagestan, and suspected in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia (Figures 1 & 2). The map of the worldwide geographical distribution of Tropilaelaps spp. has been updated accordingly (Figure 3).   Description   Presence in the Republics of Abkhazia and of Dagestan A study was conducted from 2022 to 2024 in an apiary from the Krasnodar region of Russia to investigate the specificities of the infestation by Tropilaelaps mercedesae in Russia (Brandorf et al. 2025). The mite has been present in this region since the summer of 2021 (Brandorf et al. 2024). The study compared the morphological characteristics of the local mite population with those from other regions and countries. Among these other regions and countries, 200 specimens were collected in the Gagra district of the autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, situated in northwestern Georgia, and another 200 specimens were collected in the Russian Republic of Dagestan, located in southwestern Russia at the eastern end of the North Caucasus (Figures 1 & 2). This constitutes the first reported occurrence of Tropilaelaps mercedesae presence in these two territories.   Suspected presence in another region of Georgia Discussions between the Anses[1] laboratory of Sophia Antipolis, a French association for rural development and a local Georgian beekeeper association suggest the presence of Tropilaelaps spp. in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region, situated in southern Georgia near the frontier with Turkey and Armenia (personal communications, 2025) (Figures 1 & 2). In 2024, the presence of T. mercedesae was confirmed in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region in northwestern Georgia (Janashia et al. 2024; WOAH website, consulted on 11 December 2025).   Discussion These suspicions have neither been confirmed by official analyses, nor have been notified to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and no data have been published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals. Thus, this information should be considered with caution.   These data do not allow for an accurate description of the epidemiological situation in the affected territories. They do not originate from official surveillance systems but rather from scientific projects focusing on one or a limited number of apiaries, or from informal feedback. Their objective is neither to assess the prevalence of Tropilaelaps spp. nor its spread.   However, the potential spread of Tropilaelaps in regions neighbouring the EU constitutes an increasingly serious threat to the European beekeeping sector (Figure 2).   This calls for increased vigilance regarding movements of bees and beekeeping material, which are rapid spread routes for the parasite. Regulations on entry into the EU and movements between Member States make it possible to limit the risk of introduction.   The early detection of any possible introduction is essential to attempt eradication and prevent the mite establishment. Tropilaelaps spp. mites can no longer be eradicated once it is well established.   In case of suspicion, competent authorities must be notified as soon as possible. All suspect Tropilaelaps mite specimens should be immediately sent to the national reference laboratory and/or to the competent authority for confirmation and for the implementation of appropriate surveillance and control measures. A leaflet on Tropilaelaps spp. aimed at raising awareness among beekeepers is available on the EURL website.     Figure 1 Geographical distribution of the two species of Tropilaelaps spp. observed in A. mellifera (T. clareae and T. mercedesae) in Asia and Europe, including newly confirmed detections since 2016 as of 11 December 2025. Please click on the figure to access the map with higher resolution.     Figure 2 Geographical distribution of Tropilaelaps spp. in territories close to the European continent as of 11 December 2025. Please click on the figure to access the map with higher resolution.   Figure 3 Worldwide geographical distribution of the two species of Tropilaelaps spp. observed in A. mellifera (T. clareae and T. mercedesae) as 11 December 2025. Please click on the figure to access the map with higher resolution.   Explanation of the legend for Figures 1, 2 & 3: Confirmed presence: the presence of Tropilaelaps spp. has been officially reported to the WOAH and/or documented in a peer-...

The Selection Guide is online!  This selection guide has been developed for competent authorities, but it is available to any interested party. It is structured as a hierarchy of decision trees designed to determine whether a given depopulation method can be used while ensuring poultry welfare. Have a look here.  For more information visit our sub-page here. 

Registration is now open for the 17th Rabies Workshop, which will be held from May 19 to 20 (morning) in Padova, Italy!  You can also register for a training course on bat health surveillance as part of the European OneBAT project, which will be held from May 20 (afternoon) to May 21. These two events will be held in person only. Registration for this event is restricted to National Reference Laboratories from European Union Member States and selected partners of the EURL network and can be done until January 9, 2026.   See you soon in Padova !

Join the CIR (EU) 2021/808 WEBINAR EVENT. Please register here : https://app.livestorm.co/inrae/cir-eu-2021808-of-22-march-2021-part-iv/live?s=69205c13-b7ae-4059-aba7-dd2da5b3309f