Animal Disease Fund
The animal disease funds in Germany are mostly public institutions to combat animal diseases ; but they are also available in other countries, such as B. in Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Greece and the Netherlands.
Tasks and organization
The Animal Disease Fund has the task of providing compensation for animal losses in accordance with the provisions of the Animal Disease Act. It can reimburse costs and damage caused by animal diseases, animal diseases or zoonoses and their control. In addition, it participates in preventive and control measures against animal diseases, animal diseases and zoonoses and in promoting the health and performance of pets within the meaning of Section 1 (2) No. 2 of the Animal Diseases Act as published on June 22, 2004 ( Federal Law Gazette I p. 1260 , ber. P. 3588 ), which was last amended by Article 1 § 5 Paragraph 3 of the law of December 13, 2007 ( Federal Law Gazette I p. 2930 ). It can also support official measures for the planned control of animal diseases, disease-bearing animal diseases and zoonoses, initiate or promote scientific studies and set up animal health services .
They collect annual contributions from the animal owners, the amount of which is based on the respective statutes of the individual animal disease funds, in particular on the amount of reserves for the individual animal species, the number of animals in the country, the subsidy and compensation payments from previous years, their other financial needs and their risk assessment . In other countries they are financed in whole or in part by marketing fees and may also receive direct government grants. The amount of the contributions is calculated annually. If there are sufficient reserves, the obligation to pay contributions may also be suspended for the following year for individual animal species.
The animal disease funds provide compensation and aid in the event of animal losses due to animal diseases that are subject to notification and notification, support measures to combat communicable animal diseases within the framework of the respective aid statutes and promote the health care of animal stocks by subsidizing vaccinations .
Most animal disease funds also collect fees for the collection, disposal and final processing of dead animals in rendering plants . This is a new task that has been set by the EU and that the Member States must implement.
The legal bases of the German animal disease funds are contained in the animal disease law of the Federal Republic of Germany and in the implementing laws of the federal states. The establishment of animal disease funds is a matter for the federal states. One of their most important statutory duties is to determine and refinance compensation for animal losses resulting from official killing orders. Private livestock insurance does not cover such animal losses. Rather, they are half covered by the funds of the federal states and half by the animal disease fund contributions of the animal owners.
In most animal disease funds are the owners of cattle (including bison , water buffalo and bison ), horses , sheep , goats , hogs , ducks , geese , turkeys and chickens contributions and entitled to compensation. In some cases, are donkeys , bees and held in commercial fish farms fish included. In addition, compensation for animal species that are exempt from contributions according to the TierSG, such as bees, freshwater fish, other poultry species, e.g. B. pigeons, paid. In these cases, the Tierseuchenkasse is fully refinanced by the respective federal state.