Endemic contagious diseases are the main worry in day-to-day animal health management for farmers and their veterinarians. The so-called production diseases – such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, avian infectious bronchitis, cardiomyopathy syndrome in salmonids or bovine corona virus infection – are often caused by multiple pathogens and pose the largest threat to animal health and welfare and thus to productivity of both terrestrial and aquatic species. They reduce the efficiency of livestock farming up to 10-15%, wich leads to large financial losses and lower sustainability.

In contrast to epizootic diseases and other regulated diseases, there is currently a lack of knowledge on the prevalence and the burden of non-EU-regulated contagious diseases, and even more so for diseases with multiple pathogens. Private stakeholders in the livestock sector (e.g., farmers, veterinarians and other animal health and welfare managers) all over Europe are therefore in considerable need of adequate tools to assess the risks for contagion and associated losses, and to help prioritise the appropriate control measures for these diseases.