With two weeks to go until the European Parliament elections, NOAH has set-out its manifesto for animal health, welfare and sustainability in the UK and across Europe.

Dawn Howard, NOAH’s chief executive, said: “The #AnimalHealthMatters manifesto shows how animals are a huge part of our daily lives – for companionship, assistance, leisure and our food. No matter how well we care for them, animals can still get sick and may need medicines.

“But treating sick animals is only part of the story. Treatment will always be important, but there is a shift to disease prevention (for example through vaccination) as well as earlier diagnosis to facilitate better interventions to improve animal health. As an innovative industry, NOAH is working to ensure a wide range of solutions, not only to treat animal disease, but to prevent illnesses, improve animal well-being and to keep our animals in optimal health,.”

Ms Howard said a safe and sustainable food supply chain is essential for feeding the UK population. The animal health industry delivers the therapies and disease prevention tools to make this a reality.

She added: “By protecting the health and welfare of animals we can improve the quality of life for both animals and people, whilst contributing to safe, affordable and sustainable food production. We safeguard public health by preventing disease outbreaks in animals and help prepare for emerging diseases, as well as those which are transferable from animals to people.”