Press release

The veterinary pharmaceutical industry promotes risk analysis on antibiotic resistance “Only healthy animals produce healthy foods”

Berlin, Germany, 11 November 2003
"The health and welfare of food animals is a matter of importance to the farmer, the veterinarian and the general public. Diseases in food animals must be prevented and treated" said Dr. Jean Louis Delforge, Executive Director of the International Federation of Animal Health (IFAH), following statements of Alexander Müller, Secretary of State at the German Ministry of Consumer Protection, Nutrition and Agriculture. Müller called for “researchers and veterinarians to work together to achieve concrete actions" during the international symposium "Towards a Risk Analysis on Antibiotic Resistance" that was organised by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in Berlin for 10-11 November 2003. Delforge announced the collaboration of IFAH for a further conference on risk management in 2004 “provided that the risk assessment is science-based”.

As part of the overall herd and flock health management programmes overseen by veterinarians, antibiotics are needed to treat and control diseases in food animals. He continued "Since only healthy animals should enter the food chain, antibiotics contribute significantly to food safety."

IFAH-Europe has been pro-active in investigating antibiotic resistance issues

IFAH-Europe has taken into account concerns made in the past on the use of antibiotics in food animals and, as a consequence,

is currently supporting a programme to survey and monitor susceptibility of zoonotic bacteria in animals;

has introduced the reporting of use data in 1997, and

has already undertaken risk assessments on several active ingredients.

On the basis of these programmes IFAH-Europe members are convinced that these products contribute to animal health and have no significant impact on human health.

The goal of IFAH-Europe is to preserve the efficacy of the antibiotics both in animals and humans through responsible and judicious use.

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Notes to Editors:

IFAH-Europe is the representative body of manufacturers of veterinary medicines, vaccines and other animal health products in Europe. It is a major operating division of a broader organisation – the International Federation for Animal Health, a non-profit organisation registered under Belgian law.

For further information on IFAH and IFAH-Europe please visit http://www.ifahsec.org/

For further information please contact Dr. Jean-Louis Delforge, Chairman of the IFAH-Europe Council

IFAH-Europe
Rue Defacqz, 1
B-1000 Brussels
Tel.: +32 (0)2 543 7504
Fax: +32 (0)2 537 0049
E-mail: ifah@ifahsec.org

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