EPRUMA welcomes European Parliament Plenary move to protect animal health and welfare
Despite sustained attempts by some MEPs to undermine the scientific assessment of the EU’s agencies, the plenary vote yesterday showed MEPs’ support of the EU’s One Health approach to addressing the challenge of antimicrobial resistance.
In a unanimous/close/majority vote, members of the European Parliament voted to ensure that veterinarians retain access to specific life-saving treatments for both farm and companion animals by respecting the criteria for the designation of antimicrobials to be reserved for the treatment of certain infections in humans as advised by the European Medicines Agency, and supported by EU Member States.
Rejection of the motion for a resolution has demonstrated that MEPs have understood the importance of animal health and its knock-on effects on public health, food safety, food security and the environment.
EPRUMA now looks to the European Parliament to support the implementation of wider EU policies affecting animal health and welfare, building on the scientific advice of the EU’s agencies, and seeking a careful balance for the protection of human and animal health, as well as our environment.
Steve Hallahan EPRUMA Chair and FECAVA director stated:
“As the FECAVA representative and Chair of EPRUMA, the European Platform for the Responsible Use of Medicines in Animals, I’m delighted with yesterday’s vote by Members of the European Parliament rejecting a motion for a resolution that would have prevented practicing veterinarians like myself from being able to prescribe life-saving treatments for our patients. Yesterday’s vote shows that the European Parliament supports the EU’s One Health approach to addressing the challenge of antimicrobial resistance,
MEPs showed that they understand that in order to protect public health, food safety and food security – founding principles of the EU – we must protect animal health and welfare. Furthermore, they acknowledged that the European Medicines Agency has, on scientific rather than political grounds, struck a fine balance between protecting human health, animal health and the environment by defining the circumstances under which certain critically important antibiotics may be used in our companion animals and livestock.
I’d like to thank FECAVA’s national organisations and all of the members of EPRUMA, who worked tirelessly in the past few weeks to highlight and inform MEPs about this complex issue.
As a practicing veterinarian, I’m delighted and relived that I can continue to prudently prescribe antibiotics that literally make the difference between my patients living and dying. All of us in EPRUMA use these precious drugs according to the principle “as little as possible, as much as necessary.” “
Danny Holmes vice president of FECAVA and chair of the political group added:
“Today is an excellent achievement and a great coming together of the profession to defend our interests and the welfare of the patients under our care. we worked hard on this with FVE in the medicines working group to bring BOTH the delegated act AND the veterinary Medicines regulation to fruition over the last eight years and it would’ve been a shame to see so much hard work being done by last-minute alterations. Thanks to Steve Halahan and the EPRUMA group we have had excellent correspondence to MEPs and the commission to put our point of view across. Thank you to all those involved including national directors who have put their shoulder to the wheel and brought this result forwards.”
Brussels, 17 September 2021
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