Real Decreto 3454/2000, Spanish integrated programme for surveillance and control of animal TSEs

Key facts

• The decree is dated 22 December 2000, was published in BOE no. 307 on 23 December 2000 (pages 45550 to 45565) and came into force on 24 December 2000; it was issued by the Ministerio de la Presidencia and also amended article 1.2 of Real Decreto 1911/2000 on specified risk material.
• Article 1 sets up the programme with four parts: surveillance of the diseases, control of feed, inspection of by-product and fallen animal plants, and control of specified risk material; article 5 targets BSE and scrapie, through suspect animals and active surveillance.
• In the original text, article 3.1.a named the anatomical pathology department of the University of Zaragoza veterinary faculty as national reference laboratory for diagnosis of animal TSEs, chiefly confirming positive or doubtful cases from regional laboratories and from Algete, and article 3.1.b named the Algete laboratory as national reference laboratory for rapid post-mortem BSE tests.
• Article 3.3, unchanged since 2000, allows the national agricultural research institute INIA to take part in TSE research and, where appropriate, to carry out the reference functions of article 3.2.
• Article 4 has the autonomous communities designate public or private laboratories for TSE testing, including rapid post-mortem tests, requires those laboratories to send doubtful or positive rapid test samples to the Laboratorio Central de Veterinaria at Algete, and has the communities notify the list to the National Commission; article 4 carries no amendment note in the current consolidated text.
• Real Decreto 682/2026 of 26 August 2026, published in BOE no. 241 on 30 September 2026 and in force 1 October 2026, amended the decree through its second final provision: article 3.1 now says the national reference laboratories are those in the ministerial designation order, article 3.2 keeps four functions (coordinating diagnostic methods with authorised laboratories, drafting official sampling protocols, drafting analytical protocols with collaborative trials, and confirming positive or doubtful cases from regional laboratories), and article 6.3.c now sends suspect samples to the regional authorised laboratory or, where relevant, to the national reference laboratory named in that order.
• Real Decreto 682/2026 has no transitional provision and does not mention Zaragoza, a university or INIA.
• Orden PJC/1015/2026, effective 1 October 2026, designates the Algete laboratory for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (item II.C.1) and for PRNP gene analysis in the national sheep TSE resistance programme (item II.M.1); its 17 laboratory headings include no University of Zaragoza centre, and it has no transitional or repeal clause.
• On the open question about Zaragoza: read together, the current decree, the amending decree and the designation order give the University of Zaragoza no national reference role for animal TSEs from 1 October 2026; none of the three texts names it, and none keeps the 2000 designation alive through a transitional rule. The texts say nothing either way about research work or international roles.
• The BOE analysis page lists 19 later acts touching the decree: one correction of errors (April 2001), two 2001 orders on exceptional burial and incineration, ten ministerial orders changing annexes between 2001 and 2015, four royal decrees between 2003 and 2012 repealing parts (final provision 3 in 2003; article 10.1 and annex XI in 2009; articles 14 to 16 on feed in June 2012; articles 19 to 21 and annexes I.C and VI on by-product plants in November 2012), Real Decreto 251/2006 adding to article 17, and Real Decreto 682/2026 on articles 3 and 6.3.c; no court rulings are listed.
• Other articles still in the current text: suspicion of a TSE in cattle, sheep or goats over 20 months with neurological signs must be reported and the animal isolated (article 6), confirmed cases lead to culling under annex X with carcass destruction (article 7), owners who complied with animal health rules are compensated (article 9), a multidisciplinary National Commission chaired by the livestock directorate coordinates the programme and meets at least every six months (article 26), and laboratories must keep full test records for seven years (article 27).
• Real Decreto 682/2026 made the same switch in the sheep scrapie resistance decree, Real Decreto 21/2013: its article 14 now also points to the designation order for national reference laboratories, and its article 15.5 limits PRNP genotyping in that programme to the national reference laboratory or authorised designated laboratories.

Timeline

1. 1997Spain starts passive surveillance of animal TSEs, according to the decree preamble.
2. 2000Real Decreto 3454/2000 signed.
3. 2000Published in BOE no. 307, naming Zaragoza for TSE diagnosis and confirmation and Algete for rapid BSE tests.
4. 2000Comes into force.
5. 2002Orden APA/718/2002 replaces annexes I, II and VIII.
6. 2003Real Decreto 1429/2003 repeals final provision 3.
7. 2006Real Decreto 251/2006 amends article 17 on positive feed results.
8. 2009Real Decreto 361/2009 repeals article 10.1 and annex XI.
9. 2012Real Decreto 1002/2012 repeals feed articles 14 to 16.
10. 2012Real Decreto 1528/2012 repeals articles 19 to 21 and annexes I.C and VI.
11. 2013Real Decreto 21/2013 on sheep genetic resistance to TSEs comes into force.
12. 2015Orden AAA/2504/2015 amends annex II, the latest change before 2026.
13. 2026BOE no. 241 publishes Real Decreto 682/2026 and Orden PJC/1015/2026.
14. 2026Amended articles 3.1, 3.2 and 6.3.c in force; national TSE reference laboratory now set by the designation order, which names Algete.