Healthy Food comes from Healthy Animals

Healthy food comes from healthy animals. If Britishlivestock farming is to survive it needs effective, affordable, safe, animalmedicines to prevent and treat disease.

Those who were born over 40 years ago are the first humangeneration to have seen the world population double in their lifetimes from 3to 6 billion and an estimated further 2 billion mouths to feed are expectedto arrive on this planet in the next 20 years. Before the revolution inagricultural technology of the 1960s, Britain produced food for 50% of itspeople. Today, with 60 million people to feed from 56 million acres, we produce66% of all UK-consumed food and 80% of temperate produce.

It is very unlikely that this would have been achievedwithout NOAH member companies and their predecessors commitment but perhapsmany take that success for granted, and think that future generations can befed without the efforts of those who work to produce the next generation ofeven safer, even more effective, animal medicines.

One version of the future is more scares about food or theenvironment; more demands that something must be done. It is right thatanimal medicines are strictly regulated, as they are, to ensure that medicinesare effective, of good quality and safe for the animal, for the person usingthe medicine, for the environment, and for the consumer of any livestockproduce. But over-regulation does not mean more protection it can becounter-productive. More red tape and more regulation mean, inevitably, morecosts for manufacturers, suppliers, professionals, all to be passed on to thefarmer, or indeed, pet or horse owner

The public wants safe food, good animal welfare,environmental care, better medicines but can this be delivered?

Certainly not by needless extra regulations, and theconsequent costs. NOAH welcomes the support given by the Government to theexisting system of distribution of animal medicines in the UK, currently underthreat from Brussels. But there is more opportunity, more which needs to bedone. Medicine manufacturers cannot develop new medicines if all theirresources are being devoted to defending existing products. Farmers cannot carefor and improve the countryside if they have to spend one day a week in formfilling, and have the lowest incomes for a century. Animal welfare will only beprovided by people who have the time and income to do something about it.

The first step must be for the EU and UK authorities tospend some of the money we all pay in fees and taxes on being positive, ontelling the public that they are already being well protected.

Secondly, we need to ensure that EU regulations are enforcedin every member state, with an equally light, but firm, hand. The fullpublication of the results of the surveillance schemes set in law to ensure noharmful residues of animal medicines end up in human food, as happens in theUK, is fully supported by NOAH.

Farming and medicines have two things in common. Firstlythey both provide positive services to society feeding our people, caring forthe land, caring for the sick, preventing the spread of disease and suffering in short, a positive future. Secondly, they are both long-term businesses,where investment is heavy and the return can take many years to be achieved.Both are dependent on predictable, stable, profitable markets and regulationsif people are to invest in the future of farming and animal medicines.

So, with the support of Government, farmers and animalmedicine companies can look to the future together. There have been many pastsuccesses achieved from working together, such as the establishment of RUMA(the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance); the recognition byEuropean regulators that change is needed to ensure availability of horsemedicines (although this needs to be followed up to make something happen); therecognition that sheep farmers need a full range of products to treatectoparasites (and that this needs to include OP dips); and now, the welcomerecognition by the UK government that flexibility in the classification of farmanimal medicines is worth fighting for. By building on these past successes, wecan aim to make that future positive.

For Further information

Some common questions about medicines for farm animals

Controls on animal medicines

Formed in 1986, NOAHis a trade association, which represents almost 50 animal companies thatresearch, develop, and manufacture licensed animal health products in the UK.In 2000, NOAH's members accounted for around 95% of the 357-million UK animalhealth market, with additional valuable exports.

NOAH provides acomprehensive and highly-respected source of advice and information forindividuals, organisations and the media. If you would like further informationregarding the use of animal medicines, please contact:

PhilipSketchley,

ChiefExecutive,

The NationalOffice of Animal Health Ltd,

3 CrossfieldChambers,

Gladbeck Way,

Enfield,

Middlesex,

EN2 7HF.

Tel: 020 8367 3131

Email: noah@noah.co.uk

Website: www.noah.co.uk