It is a great honour for me to succeed Didier Delmotte as President of FESASS. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for the quality, dedication, and commitment he demonstrated throughout his presidency. I am also pleased that the FESASS Board has endorsed my proposal to award him the title of Honorary President of our Federation.

The responsibilities that now lie before me are substantial, with an exceptionally broad range of challenges and activities ahead.

Our foremost priority remains the eradication of Category A diseases affecting European livestock, including HPAI, ASF, and LSD. These highly contagious diseases threaten every herd and jeopardise the sustainability of European livestock farming. Beyond the immediate human tragedy experienced when a farm is affected, their impact extends far wider: to neighbouring holdings, to farms within restricted zones, to entire production sectors, and to all associated partners. Ultimately, the consequences reach society as a whole. It is entirely legitimate that consumers and citizens are concerned about the measures implemented to eradicate such epizootic diseases. What is unacceptable, however, is that these situations are sometimes exploited—whether deliberately or inadvertently—to create confusion or disorder. The management of animal health demands the highest standards of rigour and discipline, combined with full respect for human dignity and for all stakeholders involved.

The repeated crises we are facing today clearly highlight the urgent need to strengthen traceability and animal health security in animal movements. While it is necessary to consider preventive measures in response to certain threats, such as disinsection and vaccination against vector-borne diseases, these tools are neither universal nor miraculous solutions. Vaccines do not exist for all diseases or all serotypes, and such measures involve significant costs—for farmers, for society, and for the environment. Consequently, once immediate crises have been addressed, our collective efforts must focus on improving risk management, particularly in relation to risks linked to animal movements.