The Laboratory for Animal Health conducts epidemiological surveillance of animal diseases for which it has a reference mandate, through its joint research and reference activities. It therefore monitors the appearance and spread of major and emerging diseases through various networks:

• Equine mortality surveillance network (Resumeq),
• Epidemiological surveillance network for equine diseases (RESPE),
• French animal health network (RFSA),
• Surveillance programme on bovine tuberculosis in wildlife (Sylvatub),
• "Surveillance for action" network (SAGIR) for cases occurring in wildlife,
• Santé Publique France (human cases),
• Epidemiological surveillance platform for animal health (ESA).

The laboratory also runs the foot-and-mouth disease rapid-response unit, which conducts permanent monitoring (24/7) via a telephone hotline for the validation of clinical suspicions of foot-and-mouth disease. This unit participates in the epidemiology activities of the EURL for Foot-and-mouth disease.

In addition, several of the laboratory's staff are closely involved in expert appraisal structures within the Agency (working groups on tuberculosis in badgers or foxes, etc.) and outside (Epidemiological surveillance platform for animal health, with participation in monitoring groups for bovine tuberculosis, bluetongue, West Nile fever, brucellosis, etc.).

Participation in expert committees

The laboratory is closely involved in several expert committees, both within ANSES (Microbiology, Animal Health & Welfare) and outside (agencies or scientific groups such as the High Council for Biotechnology, Scientific Board of BIOTOX-PIRATOX, Scientific Board of the IBISA scientific interest group, Centaure scientific interest group in Normandy, Hippolia cluster in Normandy, strategic committee of Inserm's REACTing consortium, Directorate General for Health (DGS) for arboviral diseases, etc.)

At the international level, the laboratory takes part in various international expert appraisals (WHO, EFSA, DG SANTE, WOAH and FAO).

Scientists from the laboratory have chaired the Standing Technical Committee of the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD) since 2017, are members of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), and conduct various expert appraisals for the three main animal health bodies in China: China Animal Health and Epidemiology Center (CAHEC, Qingdao), China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control (IVDC, Beijing) and China Animal Disease Control Center (CADC, Beijing).