On Friday, 16 January, FVE convened a joint webinar on Food and Feed Security in Europe, bringing together over 230 participants from across the veterinary profession and allied sectors. Against the backdrop of recent animal disease outbreaks, climate-related disruptions, and geopolitical instability, the webinar explored how Europe can strengthen preparedness and resilience across food and feed systems.
The recording and slides are now available.
Opening the session, FVE highlighted the central role of veterinarians in safeguarding animal health, food safety, public health, and societal resilience—particularly in times of crisis. The discussion underscored that veterinarians are not only frontline responders, but also strategists, risk assessors, communicators, and trusted leaders within One Health systems.
Key insights were provided by Maurizio Ferri (European Food Security Crisis preparedness and response mechanism), who outlined EU-level contingency planning, early warning tools, and the importance of structured coordination across sectors. A high-level panel discussion followed, with contributions from Alexander Anton (European Dairy Association), Anton van den Brink (FEFAC), and Ruud Tombrock (Humane World for Animals Europe).
The panel addressed critical themes including:
- The impact of misinformation on food systems and public trust
- The visibility and value of veterinary expertise in crisis preparedness
- Cross-sector collaboration to manage dependencies and supply-chain risks
- The need to move from reactive responses to proactive, anticipatory action
A strong consensus emerged that food and feed security is a shared responsibility, requiring early risk identification, science-based communication, strong partnerships, and clear roles for veterinarians within European and national crisis frameworks.
Key messages:
- Maurizio Ferri (FVE / EFSCM Expert Group): “Ensuring robust food and feed security, including food safety depends on three pillars: early warning, seamless coordination, and clearly defined roles. The EFSCM demonstrates how structured cooperation between public and private sectors strengthens our ability to anticipate and respond to future threats to the Agri-food system.”
- Alexander Anton (European Dairy Association – EDA): “Resilient dairy systems are one of the cornerstones of European agriculture, providing employment in rural Europe and being the backbone of the rural economies. We simply rely on trust, transparency, and science-based communication — especially when misinformation threatens public confidence.”
- Ruud Tombrock (Humane World for Animals Europe): “Protecting animals during crises is not optional. Too often overlooked, it is fundamental to animal welfare while also strengthening public health and societal resilience. Veterinarians are central to this effort, ensuring the health and welfare of animals and thereby supporting food security before, during, and after disaster events.”
- Anton van den Brink (FEFAC): “Feed security is a cornerstone of food security, and strong collaboration with veterinarians is key to managing risks, dependencies, and continuity of the feed ingredients supply to meet the nutritional requirements of livestock animals to produce our meat, milk and eggs.”
The outcomes of this webinar will directly inform FVE’s ongoing work on veterinary public health, sustainability, and crisis preparedness, contributing to stronger, more resilient food and feed systems across Europe.
