IFAH-Europe (International Federation for Animal Health Europe) is the federation representing manufacturers of veterinary medicines, vaccines and other animal health products in Europe. It represents both corporate members and national animal health associations in Europe. These associations comprise both local medium-size enterprises (SMEs) and international companies. IFAH-Europe's membership covers 95% of the European market for veterinary products.

Mission IFAH-Europe's mission is to promote a predictable, harmonised, science-based and innovative market place for the provision of quality animal medicines, vaccines and other animal health products, and so contribute to a healthy and safe food supply, and to a high standard of health and welfare for animals and people. IFAH-Europe, as the voice of the European animal health industry, encourages constructive dialogue with governments, public policy makers, legislators, regulators, non-governmental organisations, the veterinary profession, the food chain, consumers and other stakeholders.

Healthy animals - Safe food Over the years the improved health status of animals and the establishment of veterinary hygiene systems have resulted in greater food safety guarantees than ever. Nevertheless, consumer interest in ‘food safety’ remains high.

Healthy food from healthy animals Healthy animals help to ensure a safe food supply. They also grow properly, make best use of the food they eat and produce good quality foodstuffs, such as meat, dairy products and eggs, at affordable prices. Sick or suffering animals not only cost more to feed and treat their disease or clinical condition but the meat, milk or eggs they produce often cannot be sold. In more extreme cases, it may not even be safe to eat food from animals that are diseased, as there could be a risk that disease could be passed to humans. Medicines are essential if these hazards are to be effectively controlled – and have made a great contribution to the health and welfare of animals. Health schemes coordinated between public authorities and the veterinary profession, together with the development of good diagnostic tools, and preventive measures such as vaccination as well as medicines to treat diseases, represent a key element to guarantee that food from animals is safe from disease in terms of public health.

Animal medicine companies invest significant resources in developing, testing and manufacturing safe, effective medicines. Europe has one of the world’s most stringent licensing systems for controlling veterinary medicines.

Medicines cannot be sold unless they satisfy very strict criteria, set down in European law, to prove that they are of good quality, they are efficacious (they do what they are supposed to do) and above all, they are safe – that is – safe to the animal that receives them, safe for the user of the medicine, safe for the environment and safe for the consumer of any meat or produce from the animal.

The data the company provides to satisfy these criteria are assessed by regulators and independent experts in the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) if the product is to be sold Europe-wide, or by national regulatory bodies for a national marketing authorisation application.

Use is controlled How the medicine can be sold is also controlled. Under the new European Directive, all medicines for farm animals will only be available on prescription. Farmers play their part: every time a farm animal is treated or preventive medicine used, a record must be kept. Furthermore, the animals or their produce (eggs, meat and milk) may not enter the food chain until a specified period (the withdrawal period) following medication has passed. There are codes of practice for responsible use of animal medicines, such as those produced by the UK organisation RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture) Alliance, which provides species-specific guidance for the responsible use of antimicrobials. Similar guidelines have been drawn by the World Organisation for Animal Health and the World Health Organisation with input from our industry.

The establishment of withdrawal periods is built into the process that an animal medicines company goes through to get a marketing authorisation. They are based on maximum residue limits (MRL). Withdrawal periods exist to ensure MRLs are not exceeded and present no risk to the consumer.

To ensure that the controls put in place are working, under European legislation there is a statutory residue surveillance programme, and some member states carry out additional surveillance too. Results can be published nationally and are extremely encouraging, showing that animal medicines are being use responsibly. IFAH-Europe endorses a unique identification system for animal health products, as traceability of food integrates the traceability of our products and of treatments. The illegal importation of animal medicines negates this traceability and jeopardises food safety and consumer confidence.

Veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the application of medical, diagnostic and therapeutic principles to companion, domstic, exotic, wildlife, and production animals. Veterinary science is vital to the study and protection of animal production practices, herd health and monitoring the spread of disease. It requires the acquisition and application of scientific knowledge in multiple disciplines and uses technical skills directed at disease prevention in both domestic and wild animals. The Egyptian Papyrus of Kahun (1900 BCE) and literature of the Vedic period in India offer the first written records of veterinary medicine.

Veterinary medicine is informally as old as the human/animal bond but in recent years has expanded exponentially because of the availability of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for most species. Animals nowadays often receive advanced medical, dental, and surgical care including insulin injections, root canals, hip replacements, cataract extractions, and pacemakers.

In many countries, equine veterinary medicine is also a specialized field. Clinical work with horses involves mainly locomotor and orthopedic problems, digestive tract disorders (including equine colic, which is a major cause of death among domesticated horses), and respiratory tract infections and disease. Zoologic medicine, which encompasses the healthcare of zoo and wild animal populations, is another veterinary specialty that has grown in importance and sophistication in recent years as wildlife conservation has become more urgent.