NOAH Joins AnimalhealthEurope Board as One Health Conference Warns 140x More Spent on Human Health than Animal Health
9th July 2025
NOAH (National Office of Animal Health) is proud to announce its election to the Board of AnimalhealthEurope, the European industry association representing manufacturers of veterinary medicines, vaccines and other animal health products.
NOAH Chief Executive, Dawn Howard said, “we are delighted to be rejoining the Board of AnimalhealthEurope and to be part of shaping a proactive and forward-thinking agenda for animal health across the continent. Collaboration and shared ambition are more vital than ever as we face global challenges in disease prevention and sustainability.”
As part of this engagement, NOAH attended AnimalhealthEurope’s Annual Conference, held in Brussels, which this year focused on ‘Preventing Disease X: the value of investing in animal health’. The event brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and veterinarians to explore how animal health investment can be integrated into wider efforts to prevent future pandemics.
Key messages from the conference included:
- The urgent need to place veterinary services at the frontline of pandemic preparedness, recognising their vital role in early detection and response.
- A strong call to recognise that animal health must include wildlife health, acknowledging the interconnectedness of ecosystems and disease emergence.
- Greater engagement is needed with Ministers of agriculture and finance to secure the investment necessary for robust, holistic animal health systems.
- Candid warnings were shared about high-risk practices such as live wildlife markets in densely populated urban areas, described as “the number one silly thing humans do”.
- The stark contrast between human and animal health investment was laid bare, with almost $10 trillion spent globally on human health in 2021, compared to just $70 billion on animal health (c. 140x larger).
- Despite positive progress, such as shifting from reactive to preventative medicine over the past few decades, much remains to be done but the animal health industry is up for the challenge.
Dawn Howard added, “preventing the next pandemic means investing in animal health, supporting veterinary infrastructure, and acknowledging the critical role that animals—both domesticated and wild—play in global health security. NOAH is committed to driving this agenda forward both in the UK and across Europe.”
Notes for Editors
- For more information, please contact Matthew Gibbard, Public Affairs and Communications Manager at m.gibbard@noah.co.uk or see www.noah.co.uk
- NOAH represents the UK animal health industry. We promote the benefits of licensed veterinary medicines, products and services for the health and welfare of all animals.
- AnimalhealthEurope represents 12 of Europe’s leading manufacturers of animal medicines and 16 national associations in 20 countries, covering 90% of the European Market.