Any outbreak of an animal disease classified as a List A disease by the Office International des Epizooties, such as classical swine fever (CSF), has severe consequences for animal welfare, livestock production, exports of animals and animal products and the environment. Experience shows that early detection and response to a suspected disease outbreak will maximise the effectiveness of the emergency response actions and minimise the social, economic and environmental costs associated with the outbreak. The development and implementation of measures designed to minimise the risk of diseases entering a country or region has been the predominant animal health management strategy in most countries. However, even the strongest preventive management systems do not guarantee that outbreaks of animal diseases will not occur. Tracing, a procedure that begins with a known infected individual, herd or flock, and which traces all possible locational and interactive exposures in both directions, back towards the source and forward to contacts, is the backbone of disease emergency management. The authors provide an introduction to, and general overview of, tracking and tracing systems used during a recent epidemic of CSF in the Netherlands from 1997 to 1998.