Yes, to pet-friendly EU policies, but do we need a commissioner for animals? asks Kaljurand

MEP Marina Kaljurand (S&D) has questioned whether the European Commission should include a Commissioner dedicated to animals, despite the proven benefits of pet ownership.

Animal health company Zoetis and the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (FECAVA) hosted the EU Companion Animals Stakeholder Summit on 19 March in Brussels to launch the Human-Animal Bond Report, advocating for advancements in companion animal policy to improve human and animal health and wellbeing.

Kaljurand addressed attendees as a proud dog owner and explained that her pets have all positively influenced her life. She said that as a Companion Animals Working Group member, she tries to follow the relevant debates, submit questions to the Commission, and sign letters of support wherever possible. She also highlighted an ongoing question of whether the EU needs a commissioner for animals.

Some animal advocates have called for dedicated European commissioner for animals, but Kaljurand asked: “Do we really need a commissioner for animals? It’s a huge question mark for me.”

Nevertheless, Kaljurand said more should be done to promote the benefits of pet ownership. She explained the difficulties some families face when renting a house as not all landlords welcome pets. Kaljurand suggested that animal owners should do more to fight the stereotype that welcoming a cat or dog into one’s house means that it will become ruined.

Gut feeling now backed by scientific proof

Executive Vice President and Group President of International Operations at Zoetis, Jamie Brannan, said that most of those present wouldn’t be surprised by their report’s findings however he felt they would help illustrate the myriad benefits pets bring. These include helping people exercise more, reducing anxiety, stress, and pain, and providing opportunities for more socialising.

“Now it’s no longer just anecdotal. We now have scientific proof,” Brannan said. He added that with this hard evidence in hand, it was opportune for those involved in this sector to start thinking about taking the next steps forward and to amplify this message beyond the conference room.

“It is also about policymakers and how we advance systems to make it easier to own pets and to create a more pet-friendly society,” he said.

These efforts may prove to be useful as FECAVA Vice-President Ann Criel believes it’s not necessarily becoming easier to own pets.

In an interview with Euractiv on the side-lines of the Zoetis’ summit, Criel said that while it has become easier to purchase pets, including through illicit means, there are other obstacles that need to be addressed. These include a lack of knowledge of the realities of owning different types of breeds as well as costs associated with pet ownership including those for food and veterinary care.

FECAVA President Danny Holmes also noted that vet costs have increased during his keynote speech. He recommended setting up a taskforce that could introduce pet insurance to more countries and improve its penetration in countries that already have such options. Holmes also recommended more investment in pets, given the amount of money they can help countries save in terms of human healthcare.

Vets at the centre of public health

Zoetis Chief Medical Officer Mike McFarland also addressed the event. He highlighted a consensus statement made in 1987 by the US National Institutes of Health that had stated that “future studies in human health should consider the presence or absence of a pet in the home and the nature of this relationship with the pet as a significant variable.”

“This was an earthshattering quote in 1987,” McFarland said. While some of the effects pets cause can be negative, “in our view, and the science supports it, but it is mostly positive,” he said.

McFarland also highlighted the importance of vets and said he believes “vets should be at the epicentre of all things public health” owing to their expertise in zoonotic diseases, infections that are transmissible between animals and humans, and due to their close contact with families.

“You become a vet because you love animals and pets,” McFarland said adding that it’s one of those professions that attracts children when they are as young as seven years old.

“Most vets tell you they can’t remember a time when they didn’t want to be vets,” he said.

Barking in the Altiero Spinelli building?

Netherland’s newest MEP, Henk Jan Ormel (EPP), who recently replaced Esther de Lange, told attendees he was only six when he decided to become a vet. Despite being in the EP for just a few weeks, Ormel said he already had meetings with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and with Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, during which he emphasised the importance of cooperating with the veterinary sector for matters concerning human health.

During the final Q&A session of the day, a representative from Health for Animals noted how more offices are allowing employees to bring their pets with them to work. But what about the EU institutions, when will they allow employees to take pets to the office, he asked?

“It sends a powerful message I think if the institutions start saying that pets are part of our daily life. Better to have a dog at the office rather than having it sit at home alone for eight hours,” he said.

[By Christoph Schwaiger I Edited by Brian Maguire | Euractiv’s Advocacy Lab ]

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