Future-proof legislation for animal health

Future-proof legislation for animal health

Health is the natural state for animals and people. However, despite our best efforts, like us animals can contract diseases that compromise their wellbeing. Like people, when animals do fall ill, animals need to be diagnosed and treated according to their needs. This is why the primary focus of our members is ensuring that we have the tools we need to keep animals in Europe, whether they are companion or working animals, livestock or wildlife, in the best possible health. To help make this a reality, our members strive to research and develop the best possible ways to prevent and treat disease and make them available for veterinarians, farmers and pet owners as quickly as possible.

To further stimulate innovation in animal medicines and increase the availability of prevention and treatment options across Europe, a more efficient veterinary legislation is necessary at EU level. A more harmonised system where resources can be invested in R&D instead of administrative tasks will foster innovation and mean that new medicines may be developed to fill the gaps in prevention or treatment options for animals that at present don’t exist or are not available in some countries.

And by putting in place more efficient procedures to authorise medicines in exceptional situations, this paves the way for greater preparedness in the case of disease outbreaks.

A new proposal for the rules governing veterinary medicines and medicated feed was published by the Commission in 2014 and is still under review. The animal health industry in Europe is committed to delivering on the objectives set out by the European Commission:

  • increase availability of veterinary medicines in all markets, for all species;
  • reduce administrative burden;
  • improve the functioning of the internal market;
  • address the public health risk of antibiotic resistance.

AnimalhealthEurope members are committed to further investing in innovation to ensure the availability of a varied arsenal of animal medicines for the prevention and treatment of animal disease. 

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More info

  • Position: Proposal for a regulation on veterinary medicinal products Read more
  • EU Revision of the legal framework for veterinary medicinal products Read more