Mr. Vincent Martin, FAO Representative: Animal welfare is not an isolated issue or system
Mr. Vincent Martin, FAO Representative in China and DPR Korea, delivered a welcome speech at the opening ceremony. He said that animal welfare was not an isolated issue or system. It was a common responsibility of the government, enterprises and civil society. Animal welfare was closely related to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Mr. Vincent Martin pointed out that animal welfare was not an isolated issue. Animal welfare was inherent in the complete animal husbandry chain, from production to consumption. From the early stages of genetic selection and breeding, we should consider animal welfare. Good animal welfare included not only the prevention and control of animal diseases, but also the animal housing, management, nutrition and humane slaughter. In addition, consumer awareness and action were also indispensable driving forces of animal welfare.
Animal welfare was not an isolated system. Mr. Vincent Martin believed that animal welfare was closely related to food safety, health, environment, ecology and other systems. It was one of the components of sustainable development. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization advocated “One Welfare” and “One Health” approaches, and advocated for the coordination of human, animal and environmental health on the same platform. Animal welfare was a shared responsibility of governments, businesses, civil society, research institutions, producers, processors and consumers. Mr. Vincent Martin said: "These elements are indispensable for improving animal welfare. Only when we all join hands and work together, our vision of animal welfare would become a reality."
Mr. Vincent Martin said that animal welfare was a core concern of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in addressing food insecurity and malnutrition. Animal welfare was closely linked to the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in relation to Sustainable Development Goal 2 – Ending Hunger, and Sustainable Development Goal 12 – Sustainable Production and Consumption. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization considered animal welfare to be an important means of improving animal husbandry and health and specified that animal welfare was a key area in the overall development of global livestock system. To this end, FAO was committed to promoting knowledge sharing, supporting education, training and capacity building, promoting the implementation of field projects and encouraging responsible investment in animal welfare.
