Brussels, 18 February 2016 – IFAH-Europe welcomes the efforts of the rapporteur and the members of the Environment Committee of the European Parliament in their review of the Commission’s proposal for a Regulation on veterinary medicinal products. Overhauling this piece of legislation - an opportunity that only comes every 10 years or so - is of great importance not only for Europe’s animals, farmers and pet owners but also for the health of its citizens and for the European agri-food sector.
The Environment Committee of the European Parliament (ENVI) in its first reading of the proposal has made some very welcome amendments that aim to increase the availability of veterinary medicines for farmers and pet owners, reduce the administrative burden to streamline the regulatory process for industry, and stimulate innovation to offer new solutions for combatting animal disease.
The question now is whether the amendments go far enough to truly spur the much-needed impetus for innovating disease prevention and treatment options. For minor species for example, such as goats, where there is a lack of treatment options, there is a clear need for improved data protection to encourage companies to continue investing in new medicines beyond the 'first' species so that they may be used for several species.
Commenting after the Committee vote on 17 February, IFAH-Europe Secretary General Roxane Feller said, “Veterinary medicines are an important part of any veterinarian’s toolbox so it is vital that amendments to this key piece of legislation support the need for innovation and availability of medicines. We welcome the work done so far and strongly advocate the responsible use of all medicines in veterinary care. We fully support the banning of the routine prophylactic use of antibiotics and continue to promote the responsible use of antibiotics in farm animals hand in hand with excellent hygiene, biosecurity and good husbandry on farms.”