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The different political systems in the two previous German states had decisive influences on the development of the veterinary profession. The organisation, objectives and results of veterinary activities have also been influenced by the prevalent social system. Structures and ownership in the agricultural industry changed together with the political change in 1989. These changes require reorganisation of veterinary activities, especially in East Germany. The current situation, its deficiencies and the potential for improvements in the different veterinary activities, such as animal welfare, disease control, animal disease notification, education and veterinary epidemiology, are described and discussed

Aujeszky's disease (AD) manifested itself in both German states in 1960. Owing to the historical development, in the subsequent two decades, the development of the disease and of its control in the Western and Eastern parts of Germany went different ways. This article describes differences and particularities in the development of AD in Germany leading to the establishment of a national AD eradication programme after re-unification of the two German states at the beginning of the last decade. The basic principles of the German AD eradication programme are described, and the results of 10 years of efforts to control the disease are presented and discussed. Without any doubt, as in other European countries, implementation of the national eradication programme resulted in a considerable progress in the eradication of AD. Since the eradication programme has been established in 1989, particularly in West Germany, the number of AD outbreaks has decreased steadily from about 2000 cases in 1987 to 0 cases recorded in 2001. Recently, Germany has been declared as officially AD-free by the European Commission