Originally published by Poultry World in September 2020.
Dutch veterinarian Rens van Dobbenburgh has been president of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) since June 2019. He is also chief veterinary officer at Covetrus. Poultry World caught up with him to talk about the role of FVE and the challenges to be faced. Below are excerpts from his interview with Poultry World.
On the role of FVE …
“That they elected me is probably because I am a fairly experienced veteran,” laughs Rens van Dobbenburgh. Notwithstanding his experience, he was very excited to be elected by the FVE General Assembly. “There are so many things going on in the animal sector at the moment and being FVE’s president is a major responsibility. Fortunately, I have a strong team around me, which makes a huge difference.” FVE covers a wide range of topics, including animal disease outbreaks, antibiotic policy, animal welfare, food safety, veterinary training and, of course, Covid-19. Alongside his FVE presidency Van Dobbenburgh still holds his position as Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) at Covetrus. “I am glad that Covetrus has given me the space and time to work for the FVE. It’s part of their vision to support the veterinary profession.”
On representing the interests of all veterinarians …
As chairman of the FVE, Van Dobbenburgh sometimes has to tread lightly. As an organisation FVE has to represent the interests of all veterinarians in the 40 member countries, “Of course, I always try to find the communis opinio in what we all try to achieve. Quite an aim considering that the FVE represents several categories of veterinarians, veterinarians in clinical practice, veterinarians in universities and research institutes, veterinarians working for the authorities and in the industry. “And on top of that we have to divide our attention between many important topics, such as veterinary medicines, their availability and proper use in veterinary practice, animal health in general, animal welfare, and food safety.”
On the vets’ role in welfare …
Van Dobbenburgh: “An important issue close to the heart of every veterinarian is the protection of animal welfare, for example, during long distance transports.” In May of this year, the Netherlands took a leading position on this topic which concerns the export of live animals outside of the EU. During long distance transports, the animals need to be able to rest at properly equipped resting places. Where it appeared that the facilities at such resting places outside the EU could not be guaranteed, or even the existence of such resting places was uncertain, the Dutch authorities have put all requests for certificates for export outside the EU on hold.
According to Van Dobbenburgh, the new European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Ms Stella Kyriakides, is committed to animal welfare. “In a recent video-conference we had with her, Ms Kyriakides underlined her position and acknowledged the role of veterinarians in the protection of animal welfare, on the farm, during transport and at the time of slaughter.”
Read the full article here: https://www.poultryworld.net/Health/Articles/2020/9/Interview-FVE-president-One-Health-approach-is-essential-643751E/?utm_source=tripolis&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=poultry_world