FESASS contributes to the work of the European Board for Agriculture and Food

On Thursday, January 22, 2026, FESASS was exceptionally invited to participate in the EBAF (European Board for Agriculture and Food) as an expert to contribute to discussions on the future strategy for European livestock farming. A total of 10 organizations were invited to share their expertise. Aware of the challenges and their essential role, they were all motivated by a constructive spirit. On behalf of FESASS, we emphasized the context of increasing health threats and requested that the future strategy for livestock farming include an ambitious section devoted to animal health issues (see attached document of FESASS’s contribution).

It was particularly positive to have been invited to this meeting chaired by Commissioner Hansen. He welcomed and commented positively on the contributions of our organizations. However, there was no real debate with the other members of the EBAF. More seriously, some members, notably those representing environmental NGOs, expressed their disapproval of the invitation to experts from organizations in the livestock sector.

This was therefore an important step and demonstrated the Commission’s recognition of the competence and representativeness of our animal health and economic sector organizations (FESASS, FVE, Animal Health Europe, AVEC, UECBV, EDA, etc.). However, it is reassuring to know that substantive discussions are to continue within the Livestock Workstream. It is indeed vital for the future of livestock farming to be able to engage in constructive dialogue in a less politicized climate than that of the EBAF.