Sussex farmer, Gwyn Jones, has been elected as the new chairman of Copa and Cogeca’s Animal Health and Welfare Working Party with the priority of overseeing the implementation of the EU’s new animal health law and welfare initiatives.
Mr Jones is also chairman of AHDB Dairy, as well as being a member of the National Farmers Union of England and Wales.
Taking on a two-year mandate, he pledged to ensure the new EU animal health law, due to be finalised in April 2016, is “implemented well” and that it makes sure the concerns of farmers and cooperatives are taken into account.
“The challenge is to find the right balance between respecting the needs of farmers so that they can continue to help solve hunger and malnutrition at the same time as responding to what politicians want,” he said.
“I will also work on the different animal welfare initiatives. We already have some of the highest health and welfare standards in the world and consumers should be better informed on this”.
His acceptance speech also included mention of antibiotic resistance, an issue on which he is well informed in his other role as Chairman of the European Platform for the Responsible Use of Medicines in Animals (EPRUMA).
“I believe that veterinary medicines, including antibiotics, need to be used responsibly to maintain their efficacy,” he said, adding that all animal health stakeholders are already committed to responsible use.”
Headline image shows Mr Jones (centre) with Adam Drosio (left) from Poland and Miguel Angel Higuera from Spain, his two vice-chairs.