Publications IFAH joins FAO-led partnership measuring environmental impact of livestock

IFAH joins FAO-led partnership measuring environmental impact of livestock

04/07/2012

Healthy Animals, Healthier World

Brussels, 4 July 2012 – The International Federation for Animal Health (IFAH) joins national governments, NGOs and the private sector for a new collaborative partnership led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on the environmental benchmarking of livestock supply chains.

Barbara Freischem, Executive Director of the International Federation for Animal Health, said: “Livestock production is a significant contributor to the world’s agricultural output and food security, and, as all human activities, has environmental implications. Correctly understanding the nature and the extent of the impact on the environment will point us towards appropriate options for managing them. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) estimates that more than 20% of production is lost due to animal disease; so ensuring animal health is not only significant and a prerequisite for animal well-being – it will help avoid these losses.

In a world with a growing population and a finite number of resources, food security as well as environmentally sustainable food production are becoming ever more important. Ensuring efficient use of these resources with a reduced environmental impact must drive future food production. This FAO-led partnership will pave the way towards an agreed methodology to measure the environmental impact of the livestock supply chain and will help assess the mitigating measures, as well as ways to improve production performance to ensure our food for the future.”

Notes for editors

IFAH
The International Federation for Animal Health (IFAH) is an organisation representing manufacturers of veterinary medicines, vaccines and other animal health products in both developed and developing countries across five continents. The mission of IFAH is to foster a greater understanding of animal health matters and promote a predictable, science-based regulatory environment that facilitates the supply of innovative and quality animal medicines, vaccines and other animal health products into a competitive market place. These products contribute to a healthy and safe food supply as well as a high standard of health and welfare for animals and people. For further information on IFAH, please visit www.ifahsec.org

For further press information please contact
Kim Hardie, Communications Director
Tel.: +32 2 543 75 75
E-mail: k.hardie@ifahsec.org