Member News
30th December 2010
The National Office of Animal Health looks back at an eventful 2010.
2010 has been a very busy year for the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH), which represents the UK animal medicines industry. Its aim is to promote the benefits of safe, effective, quality medicines for the health and welfare of all animals.
Veterinary medicines, to prevent and treat animal disease, help ensure that all animals, on farms and in people's homes, can enjoy good health.
Europe has one of the world's strongest licensing systems for controlling veterinary medicines. The European Directive controlling the system is implemented in the UK by the Veterinary Medicines Regulations which are reviewed fully each year. This year the consultation and subsequent ministerial review of the legislation has been extended, in particular to examine the proposal, opposed by NOAH, that advertising of antibiotics will no longer be permitted to farmers. The results of this consultation are not yet known.
NOAH maintains that antibiotics are essential for the health and welfare of the UK's livestock population. While we accept that antimicrobial resistance is a serious and growing subject of discussion for the medical and veterinary professions, we do not believe that the banning of advertising of antimicrobials to farmers will reduce resistance profiles. Indeed, it could even impinge on providing farmers with essential information relating to the health and welfare of their animals, as responsible promotion plays an important role in 'knowledge transfer' to farmers.
The collective industry, including animal medicine companies, the veterinary profession and farmers, continues to take the matter of antimicrobial resistance seriously. These organisations and others, alongside DEFRA and the Food Standards Agency, support the work of the RUMA Alliance (Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture). Responsible use means antibiotics, as all medicines, should be used 'as little as possible, but as much as necessary'.
Interacting with pets is widely acknowledged as being good for people's mental and physical health. One key event in 2010 was a reception to celebrate 'Our Hero Pets'. Hosted by Lord Soulsby on behalf of NOAH, the event gave attending MPs and peers an insight into the valuable work of assistance, rescue and other working dogs who perform necessary and vital roles which enhance the lives of humans.
We were joined by, amongst others, police bomb-detection dogs, search and rescue dogs, Pets as Therapy dogs, cancer-detection dogs and assistance animals such as Guide Dogs and Dogs for the Disabled.
While the hero-animal guests were dogs, the event also celebrated the benefits that our unsung hero-pets back at home bring us – dogs, cats, rabbits, fish. They all deserve our very best care, and to be kept in the best possible health.
The medicines and vaccines researched, developed and marketed by members of NOAH provide safe and effective medicines for the care of all pets, to enable them to enjoy life to the full and carry out their work in society and as family pets as well.
Looking forward to 2011, NOAH is making final arrangements for its conference 'Feeding the World' to be held on 15 February at the Royal Society. Chaired by Lord Soulsby, the event includes Neil Parish MP as a speaker.
We will also be building on our long-standing qualification for representatives from animal health companies, with the launch of the 'NOAH Certificate of Animal Health' in the spring.
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