Peter Jones to retire as IFAH Executive Director

Brussels, Belgium, 6 September 2007: The President of IFAH, George Gunn, has announced that Dr Peter Jones, the Executive Director of the federation, has decided to retire and will leave IFAH at the beginning of next year.

Dr Jones joined IFAH in October 2005 and in his two years at the helm of the organisation, he has been instrumental in maximising the profile of IFAH as a recognised and credible player in the field of animal health on the international stage.

Representing the animal health industry in numerous global fora, he has played a leading role in reinforcing the scientific basis for justifying and defending the use of all classes of antimicrobials in animals, heard by international organisations and national governments. 

Peter Jones was key in establishing the animal health industry as an important contributor to the global debate on avian influenza control as well as the prevention of other zoonotic and epizootic diseases. He also campaigned to broaden the acceptance of vaccination by public authorities as an important tool to combat this disease alongside culling and bio-security.

He has also been instrumental in campaigning for a positive regulatory environment for veterinary medicines in close cooperation with national and international regulators to contain the regulatory burden on the animal health industry.

The recruitment of a successor is now underway and an announcement can be expected in the coming months to allow a timely and smooth handover of responsibilities.

“Peter truly has been a tower of strength during his time at the helm of the federation - it has been a real pleasure for me to work with someone with his vast experience and great skill - he will be a hard act to follow”, said George Gunn, President of IFAH.

The President added that whilst IFAH members very much regret loosing Peter, they wish him all the best in his retirement with many happy years ahead.

Ends

Note to Editors:

IFAH, the International Federation for Animal Health, is the organisation representing manufacturers of veterinary medicines, vaccines and other animal health products in both developed and developing countries across five continents. Its goal is to promote a harmonised, science-based regulatory and trade framework, and marketplace environment that supports an animal health industry which is economically viable and innovation driven, contributing to a healthy and safe food supply as well as a high level of animal health and welfare. For further information on IFAH, please visit http://www.ifahsec.org.

For further information on the topic of this press release, please contact:

Bernd Halling,
IFAH Communications Director
Rue Defacqz, 1 - B-1000 Brussels
Tel.: +32 (0)2 543 7575
Fax : +32 (0)2 5370049
E-mail: b.halling@ifahsec.org