Copa-Cogeca has welcomed a new package of proposals released by the European Commission setting out rules for veterinary medicinal products and the manufacture, marketing and use of medicated feed for livestock.
Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said “It is in farmers and agri-cooperatives interest to continue to ensure sustainable livestock production and healthy and productive animals. Maintaining and improving the animals’ health is one of the best ways to reduce the need to use antibiotic treatments. Good hygiene, proper feed, an appropriate animal environment and management, basic biosecurity measures are at the top of farmers’ priorities and play a crucial role in disease prevention. But despite these measures, animals can still get sick and they need to be treated for both animal health and welfare reasons”.
Copa-Cogeca believes that a responsible use of antimicrobials for the treatment of livestock is a shared responsibility between veterinarians, farmers, the entire food chain and public authorities. And it is vital to ensure that there is an appropriate availability of veterinary medicines in all Member States for all species, including for minor uses and for minor species, for which a serious lack of veterinary medicines currently exists.
The current EU regulatory framework has clearly failed to deliver new products on the market or promote research and development in the European market. The goal of this revision of the legislation must therefore be to ensure that farmers and agri-cooperatives in all Member States have access to smart, effective and alternative products on the market to cure their animals. Copa-Cogeca welcomes the Commissions’ efforts to ensure that the review of the medicated feed rules assures further harmonisation of the rules which apply in this area. A level playing field for professional operators in the Single Market can be ensured by replacing the current EU directive with an EU regulation.
Wrapping up, Mr Pesonen said “European farmers and agri-cooperatives are very committed to the concept of using responsibly veterinary medicines for the treatment of their livestock. The goal is to ensure, in the long term, that diseases are treated efficiently and the spread into the environment of resistant bacteria can be prevented.
