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Better regulation of veterinary medicines needed
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A single marketing authorisation is key to boosting innovation in animal health, says IFAH.

IFAH-Europe calls for a single EU marketing authorisation

Better regulation of veterinary medicines is essential for animal health, according to the International Federation for Animal Health (IFAH) Europe.

At its recent conference, the federation called for a truly single market and one EU-wide marketing authorisation process.

The decision-making process on the future of veterinary medicines legislation is due to start later this year.

The federation, which represents manufacturers of veterinary medicines, says it "greatly appreciates" the efforts made so far to improve the efficiency of legislation.

IFAH-Europe wants to see an end to the administrative burden of licensing veterinary medicines to boost innovation in animal health. A pan-European marketing authorisation is key to this goal.

Innovation and investment is being discouraged by this administrative burden alongside insufficient data protection, IFAH claims.

New medicines are essential for fighting animal disease, protecting public health and ensuring safe and sustainable food production.

"A lot of work remains to be done to make veterinary legislation more efficient and to make Europe more attractive for continued investment in innovation," explained IFAH-Europe chairman, Alejandro Bernal.

"We encourage industry and policymakers to work together to build one harmonised licensing system to achieve our ultimate goal of improving the availability of authorised veterinary medicines for the benefit of vets, farmers, pet owners and animals across all EU Member States.

"Now is the time to complete the journey to one true single market in veterinary medicines in the upcoming review of the legislative framework."

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.