A call to action from AnimalhealthEurope

We believe that animal health plays a central role for ensuring the continued protection of our shared One Health. While addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), foodborne diseases, and emerging disease threats are undoubtedly crucial components of One Health action, there are other areas that should also be considered within the wider One Health scope. The European Union (EU) has primarily prioritised these aforementioned areas in their One Health initiatives, potentially overlooking other important aspects where animal health can contribute.
We have developed a comprehensive vision for future One Health action areas encompassing animal health in the EU.

Firstly, we call on the European Commission to establish a dedicated over-arching One Health Strategy that goes beyond the topic of addressing antimicrobial resistance, and considers the following animal health related objectives:

Proposed Objectives for a One Health Strategy

1. Recognise the interconnectedness of challenges, issues and opportunities and ensure interdisciplinary exchanges. Guaranteeing a seat at the table for animal health during discussions on human health and/or environmental challenges (like medicines shortages, disease surveillance, etc.) is essential, as animal health can be both impacted and part of the solution.
2. Support further research and encourage wide collaboration to identify and fill research gaps in animal health, by supporting comparative medicine, ensuring collaboration between academia and industry, addressing competitive issues, and by guaranteeing the necessary conditions for uptake of research.
3. Enact policies that enable the commercialisation of innovative solutions while maintaining the EU’s strategic autonomy in the field of animal medicines by fostering an environment conducive to rapid and flexible regulatory approvals and market uptake, especially for limited markets.
4. Address the veterinary shortages challenge to ensure adequate veterinary capacity everywhere, and particularly in remote rural areas, starting by recognising animal health as a Global Public Good, recognising veterinary professionals as essential healthcare professionals, and also recognising the substances used to manufacture veterinary medicines as essential for our shared One Health.
5. Ensure coherence in all policies, instilling a balance and leaving none of the sustainability pillars behind, and promote cooperation at local, national, and global levels to address the complexities and interrelationships between human, animal, and environmental health.

In our call to action we propose 5 practical actions for the European Commission to focus on in the more immediate future. Read our full paper in the download.