The global population is projected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050. To meet this growing demand, animal protein production must increase overall by an estimated 20% over the next two decades. Amid the complex landscape of geopolitical tensions and economic challenges the world is facing, securing food supply for the future will need to take a “One Health” approach; a concept that’s been recognized for over a century that animal, human, and environmental health are inextricably linked to safeguarding public health.
MEP Marina Kaljurand (S&D) has questioned whether the European Commission should include a commissioner dedicated to animals, despite the proven benefits of pet ownership.
The agriculture ministers of the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium have called on pharmaceutical companies to quickly develop a new vaccine amid an ongoing outbreak of bluetongue disease feared to hit sheep and cattle exports.
In the highly polarised and often emotional debate around animal welfare, there are a number of sectors developing concrete solutions to deliver on demands for higher welfare for farm animals. One such sector is the animal health industry. Roxane Feller is …
Spanish slaughterhouses will have to install video surveillance to ensure animals are not mistreated before being killed, the government announced Tuesday (23 August), claiming a first in the EU.
The European Commission’s list of antimicrobials to be reserved for human use only is based on sound scientific evidence, an EU official stressed after EU lawmakers reiterated their objection to the act implementing it.
“We are only as strong as the weakest health system in our interconnected world” This sentence uttered by UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the pandemic has resonated around the globe and brought decision-makers and the private sector together to devise innovative, …
EU and national policies are not ambitious enough to reach the bloc's goal of halving antibiotic use in livestock farming by 2030, according to campaigners, who warn that without sufficient action, humans will also be at risk from antimicrobial resistance.
Lawmakers have set the political goals for enhanced agricultural sustainability, including higher animal welfare standards, antibiotic use reduction, and decreasing the impact of animal husbandry on the planet
For many decades, policies for agriculture, research and development, education and training, and consumer demands have influenced the use of technology in farming as well as farm practices. Roxane Feller is the Secretary-General of AnimalhealthEurope. Previously farmers looked to new technologies and …
The potential of innovative feed solutions for boosting gut microbiome health of animals remains underexplored, despite mounting scientific evidence indicating that it underpins both animal health and welfare, stakeholders have highlighted.
Animal health and welfare are key dimensions of the Farm to Fork strategy (F2F), the European Commission’s pivotal agri-food policy at the heart of the EU Green Deal.
The concept of efficiency and productivity in farming is often taken to mean poor animal welfare and sustainability, but that is not necessarily the case and more work must be done to change this perception, stakeholders highlighted at a recent event on animal welfare.
Technology to prevent the necessity of killing surplus or unproductive animals should be encouraged to prevent the unnecessary suffering of male chicks, a new report finds.
A lively but polarised debate between farmers and an environmental organisation has exposed barely-concealed tensions between stakeholders over livestock farming, which could colour the political agenda of the next legislative term.
Over the past fifty years, the EU has done a stellar job in moving from a very fragmented national approach to animal disease control to a progressively more harmonised system of animal health measures, disease surveillance, diagnosis and control, writes Roxane Feller.
An innovation-driven approach – ranging from vaccination to other health management solutions and appropriate biosecurity measures – will ensure more sustainable future livestock farming and protection of public health, as animal diseases do not recognise borders, Roxane Feller told EURACTIV.com.
Download PDF
In an effort to minimise animal diseases’ outbreaks, the European Commission adopted in 2007 the “Prevention is better than cure” approach when it comes to animal health strategy. According to the executive, the objective was to focus on preventive measures, disease surveillance, controls and research.
