African Swine Fever: Commission adopts measures following outbreak in Germany
Following the confirmation this month by the German authorities that a first case of African Swine Fever had been detected in wild boar in the eastern Lander of Brandenburg, the European Commission has adopted measures with a view to contain the spread of the disease. Germany is now the 11th Member State affected by the disease since the first outbreak was reported in 2014.
Conference of Animal Health Europe
On 9 September, Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food safety opened this year’s Conference of Animal Health Europe. The Commissioner addressed the topic of sustainability in livestock in the context of COVID-19, using her opening remarks to note the importance of the One Health approach in recognising that animal, human and environmental health are interdependent. Other topics covered in her speech included animal health surveillance systems, prevention driven approach to animal health and the costs of AMR.
World Food Loss and Waste Day
29 September was designated the first International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste by the United Nations. Ahead of this occasion, the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, stated: “We urgently need to redesign our food systems. This year, COVID-19 has not only forced us to rethink our way of life and adapt to new realities. The pandemic has also proven the importance of sustainable food systems, from how we produce and process food, to the supply chains that bring it to our homes.”