The surveillance of animal diseases has been the subject of numerous national and international initiatives further to the emergence, or re-emergence, of human diseases of animal origin. Noting that collaboration between stakeholders involved in surveillance was still insufficient, the international organisations have stressed the importance of harmonising data collection tools and mobilising stakeholders through participatory methods, education and communication. However, by focusing on technical constraints and individual motivations, these policies disregard the strategic role of information and potential conflicts of interest. Moreover, they ignore the practices of the many stakeholders in the field, who convey disease information within nonconventional surveillance networks. Hence the proposal to take these networks into account, without compromising the diversity of their objectives and operations, in order to make the surveillance of animal diseases more effective.