Chief veterinary officers meet in Budapest in framework of V4 cooperation

Participants in the Wednesday meeting briefed each other on the veterinary status of their respective countries, about African swine fever and bird flu, the ministry said.

The meeting, chaired by Hungary’s chief veterinary officer Lajos Bognar, also covered potential preventative measures and the participants highlighted the importance of cooperation.

They exchanged views about their experiences connected to a veterinary framework agreement introduced by the European Union half a year ago and agreed to follow up the meeting with expert consultations in order to help the standardised application of EU rules.

Another important topic was the planned ban of caged animal farming and Bognar said that Hungary could only support amendments to current regulations if they are sufficiently supported by scientific, social and economic considerations at the same time as animal welfare aspects.