Bruxelles 6 July 2020 – FVE welcomes the EU Commission’s recently launched F2F strategy and supports the EU Commission’s agenda for achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). FVE specifically welcomes the ambitious plans to improve animal welfare, a transition to a more sustainable food production system with less food waste, stronger fight against food fraud and moving towards climate neutrality.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences are a true disaster for the health of people and the global economy but at the same time, it offers a good opportunity to reflect on the sustainability of our food system. For these reasons FVE calls the EU Institutions:

  1. To comprehensively embrace One Health, the notion that the health of people, animals and ecosystems are strongly interconnected;
  2. To acknowledge that whilst veterinarians make great efforts to prevent diseases, livestock can still contract infectious diseases that need to be treated. Antimicrobials remain essential for the health and welfare of these animals.
  3. To consider that animal welfare is not a stand-alone-issue and animals should always be held under conditions they can cope with and wherein they can thrive;
  4. To avoid that uncontrolled competition of prices leads to an increased risk and reduction of sustainability in the food supply chain.