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News & Reports europe
European student seminar highlights the intricacies of global food production Kasia Szyma´nska was chosen by Dublin veterinary school to be its representative at a recent European Union seminar for veterinary students. Here, she reports on some of the issues discussed at the meeting in Brussels last autumn The 5th annual European Union Seminar for Veterinary Students hosted 48 veterinary student delegates from across 26 countries in the EU. The two-day seminar, held at the Berlaymont Building in Brussels on November 20 and 21, 2013, aimed to create an ‘open-house’ so that students could experience the internal workings and policy development activities of the European Commission first hand as they related to the topics of food security and animal health and welfare, as well as zoonotic diseases. Animal health is an important component of the EU’s agenda and it is closely linked with policies that safeguard human and environmental health. The main aims of the Directorate General (DG) for Health and Consumers are, in fact, to protect the health and welfare of farm animals, improve public health and ensure the health of crops and forests, while also empowering consumers.
The EU seminar in Brussels brought together 48 students representing 26 countries
The seminar provided an opportunity to engage in dialogue with representatives of the EC and affiliated agencies, including the World Organisation for Animal Health
(OIE) and the EU’s Food and Veterinary Office. Meaningful discussion was fostered between speakers and students alike as questions were raised about rabies control
January 11, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 33
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on July 1, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
News & Reports
Hannah Elysé Smith, the delegate from the University of Liverpool School of Veterinary Science, asks a question of her EU student peers
programmes as well as some politically charged topics. One of these topics was intracommunity trade and livestock welfare. The EU sets a minimum standard for animal welfare that all member states must at least meet, but which they can exceed, as is the case for many pieces of legislation that Sweden has adopted across various farm animal practices. Swedish legislation, for example, prohibits tail docking and teeth clipping in piglets. However, animal products coming into Europe from countries with different husbandry practices are not discriminated against in laws set out by the World Trade Organization. This means that more stringent animal welfare standards, which result in higher production costs, leave domestic farmers undercut by imports from countries with fewer regulations. Evidence suggests that EU citizens are concerned about the treatment of food animals and are the drivers behind new legislation, including the 2012 ban on cage systems for laying birds. However, India, the third largest egg producer in the world, still keeps its laying hens in cages that are smaller than those permitted in the EU or USA. As these eggs appear on market shelves and in foods across the globe, it is evident that the future of food production lies in the vote of the consumer, who ultimately chooses which product to endorse. This brief vignette provided a glimpse into the intricacies surrounding global food production. As was highlighted by Pasquale Di Rubbo, senior policy adviser for Copa-Cogeca, the European organisation representing farmers and
(from left) Gabriel Greif, Elke Pollaris, Kasia Szyman´ska and Hannah Elysé Smith, delegates from Germany, Belgium, Ireland and the UK, respectively, with some souvenirs from the seminar
34 | Veterinary Record | January 11, 2014
farming cooperatives, the increasing world population and concurrent increasing demand for safe and healthy food creates opportunities for veterinarians to make an impact along the farm-to-fork continuum. This sentiment is echoed in veterinary schools across Europe, but there’s more to the picture. The rate at which global demands for food, biomass and other resources are increasing is not sustainable, and so it must be balanced with environmental protection and a shift from current production and consumption patterns. Furthermore, the increased frequency of extreme weather events, the emergence and spread of new diseases and the invasion of alien species add another complicated layer to the future of global health.
Bee health
During the seminar, a case study was presented by Pierangelo Bernorio, head of sector-imports and OIE, DG Health and Consumers, on a topic that encapsulates these complexities. International bee populations have been plummeting over the past few years in North America, China, and western Europe and, although many factors are suspected to be linked with this, much still remains to be understood. Viruses, pesticides, parasites, invasive species, GM crops, climate change and habitat fragmentation are all on the table as potential causes that could be working together. But what is the significance of a plummeting worldwide bee population? If the honey and wax that bees produce and the contribution they make towards
biodiversity are set aside, bees remain incredibly important through their pollination services. In fact, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that of the 100 crop species that provide 90 per cent of the food worldwide, 71 are pollinated by bees (www. fao.org/ag/magazine/0512sp1.htm). This case study helped me to appreciate how difficult it can be to devise effective policy. Dr Bernorio shared with us the issues that complicate policy development – such as the fact that 90 per cent of hives are small operations owned by non-professionals. He also described the border inspection points, which screen queen bees and their 100 or so attendants for signs of disease. At the same time, I also learned of the rapid implementation of an EU ban on fipronil, a member of the neonicotinoid family of insecticides, which is believed to impair the ability of bees to locate their hive. When necessary, the EU can act without delay, and use of the pesticide will no longer be allowed on corn and sunflowers within the EU from the end of 2013. To close the seminar, Alberto Laddomada, head of animal health, DG Health and Consumers, proposed that, at the 2014 seminar, more time should be allocated to animal welfare and that the issue of antimicrobial resistance should also be considered, a topic that was not formally covered at this year’s seminar. Antimicrobial resistance is a hot topic among policymakers; European Antibiotic Awareness Day took place just two days before to the seminar to promote responsible use of these pharmaceuticals and publicise the growing resistance to last-line options. The topics selected for the seminar generated productive discussion, with the students debating the issues from their unique perspectives, experience and backgrounds. The EU motto, ‘United in diversity’, could not have been better represented. Serving as the delegate from University College Dublin in Ireland, I came with a particular enthusiasm for food safety and public policy. I was keen to learn how my peers throughout the EU with similar interests were getting involved. At the same time, I enjoyed comparing notes with students who had different career aspirations and appreciated the enthusiasm and knowledge they brought to discussions on the future of the profession. The verdict is that, with our diverse interests and broad training, veterinary graduates have no shortage of opportunities to contribute in today’s dynamic global scene. Kasia Szyma´nska is a second-year veterinary student at University College Dublin (UCD). At UCD, she is the public relations officer for its One Health Society
doi: 10.1136/vr.g6
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on July 1, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
European student seminar highlights the intricacies of global food production Veterinary Record 2014 174: 33
doi: 10.1136/vr.g6 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/174/2/33
These include:
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To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
News & Reports europe
European student seminar highlights the intricacies of global food production Kasia Szyma´nska was chosen by Dublin veterinary school to be its representative at a recent European Union seminar for veterinary students. Here, she reports on some of the issues discussed at the meeting in Brussels last autumn The 5th annual European Union Seminar for Veterinary Students hosted 48 veterinary student delegates from across 26 countries in the EU. The two-day seminar, held at the Berlaymont Building in Brussels on November 20 and 21, 2013, aimed to create an ‘open-house’ so that students could experience the internal workings and policy development activities of the European Commission first hand as they related to the topics of food security and animal health and welfare, as well as zoonotic diseases. Animal health is an important component of the EU’s agenda and it is closely linked with policies that safeguard human and environmental health. The main aims of the Directorate General (DG) for Health and Consumers are, in fact, to protect the health and welfare of farm animals, improve public health and ensure the health of crops and forests, while also empowering consumers.
The EU seminar in Brussels brought together 48 students representing 26 countries
The seminar provided an opportunity to engage in dialogue with representatives of the EC and affiliated agencies, including the World Organisation for Animal Health
(OIE) and the EU’s Food and Veterinary Office. Meaningful discussion was fostered between speakers and students alike as questions were raised about rabies control
January 11, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 33
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on July 1, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
News & Reports
Hannah Elysé Smith, the delegate from the University of Liverpool School of Veterinary Science, asks a question of her EU student peers
programmes as well as some politically charged topics. One of these topics was intracommunity trade and livestock welfare. The EU sets a minimum standard for animal welfare that all member states must at least meet, but which they can exceed, as is the case for many pieces of legislation that Sweden has adopted across various farm animal practices. Swedish legislation, for example, prohibits tail docking and teeth clipping in piglets. However, animal products coming into Europe from countries with different husbandry practices are not discriminated against in laws set out by the World Trade Organization. This means that more stringent animal welfare standards, which result in higher production costs, leave domestic farmers undercut by imports from countries with fewer regulations. Evidence suggests that EU citizens are concerned about the treatment of food animals and are the drivers behind new legislation, including the 2012 ban on cage systems for laying birds. However, India, the third largest egg producer in the world, still keeps its laying hens in cages that are smaller than those permitted in the EU or USA. As these eggs appear on market shelves and in foods across the globe, it is evident that the future of food production lies in the vote of the consumer, who ultimately chooses which product to endorse. This brief vignette provided a glimpse into the intricacies surrounding global food production. As was highlighted by Pasquale Di Rubbo, senior policy adviser for Copa-Cogeca, the European organisation representing farmers and
(from left) Gabriel Greif, Elke Pollaris, Kasia Szyman´ska and Hannah Elysé Smith, delegates from Germany, Belgium, Ireland and the UK, respectively, with some souvenirs from the seminar
34 | Veterinary Record | January 11, 2014
farming cooperatives, the increasing world population and concurrent increasing demand for safe and healthy food creates opportunities for veterinarians to make an impact along the farm-to-fork continuum. This sentiment is echoed in veterinary schools across Europe, but there’s more to the picture. The rate at which global demands for food, biomass and other resources are increasing is not sustainable, and so it must be balanced with environmental protection and a shift from current production and consumption patterns. Furthermore, the increased frequency of extreme weather events, the emergence and spread of new diseases and the invasion of alien species add another complicated layer to the future of global health.
Bee health
During the seminar, a case study was presented by Pierangelo Bernorio, head of sector-imports and OIE, DG Health and Consumers, on a topic that encapsulates these complexities. International bee populations have been plummeting over the past few years in North America, China, and western Europe and, although many factors are suspected to be linked with this, much still remains to be understood. Viruses, pesticides, parasites, invasive species, GM crops, climate change and habitat fragmentation are all on the table as potential causes that could be working together. But what is the significance of a plummeting worldwide bee population? If the honey and wax that bees produce and the contribution they make towards
biodiversity are set aside, bees remain incredibly important through their pollination services. In fact, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that of the 100 crop species that provide 90 per cent of the food worldwide, 71 are pollinated by bees (www. fao.org/ag/magazine/0512sp1.htm). This case study helped me to appreciate how difficult it can be to devise effective policy. Dr Bernorio shared with us the issues that complicate policy development – such as the fact that 90 per cent of hives are small operations owned by non-professionals. He also described the border inspection points, which screen queen bees and their 100 or so attendants for signs of disease. At the same time, I also learned of the rapid implementation of an EU ban on fipronil, a member of the neonicotinoid family of insecticides, which is believed to impair the ability of bees to locate their hive. When necessary, the EU can act without delay, and use of the pesticide will no longer be allowed on corn and sunflowers within the EU from the end of 2013. To close the seminar, Alberto Laddomada, head of animal health, DG Health and Consumers, proposed that, at the 2014 seminar, more time should be allocated to animal welfare and that the issue of antimicrobial resistance should also be considered, a topic that was not formally covered at this year’s seminar. Antimicrobial resistance is a hot topic among policymakers; European Antibiotic Awareness Day took place just two days before to the seminar to promote responsible use of these pharmaceuticals and publicise the growing resistance to last-line options. The topics selected for the seminar generated productive discussion, with the students debating the issues from their unique perspectives, experience and backgrounds. The EU motto, ‘United in diversity’, could not have been better represented. Serving as the delegate from University College Dublin in Ireland, I came with a particular enthusiasm for food safety and public policy. I was keen to learn how my peers throughout the EU with similar interests were getting involved. At the same time, I enjoyed comparing notes with students who had different career aspirations and appreciated the enthusiasm and knowledge they brought to discussions on the future of the profession. The verdict is that, with our diverse interests and broad training, veterinary graduates have no shortage of opportunities to contribute in today’s dynamic global scene. Kasia Szyma´nska is a second-year veterinary student at University College Dublin (UCD). At UCD, she is the public relations officer for its One Health Society
doi: 10.1136/vr.g6
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on July 1, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
European student seminar highlights the intricacies of global food production Veterinary Record 2014 174: 33
doi: 10.1136/vr.g6 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/174/2/33
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
