Additional livestock health controls have been agreed between the European Union (EU) and Switzerland, to prevent sick farm animals wandering across national borders, potentially infecting previously healthy herds and flocks.

The rules will amend the existing EU-Switzerland agriculture agreement and allow veterinary officials from either side to inspect livestock grazing in ten kilometre strips shadowing the Swiss frontier, whoever owns the animals.

The move has especially been sparked by concerns about controlling the health of mountain herds and flocks, where fencing is rarely present. The rules insist on veterinary authorities being informed abut such stock movements and on logging such information on mutually accessible databases.