Celebrating 50 years of FVE

Last month, the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) hailed a landmark agreement by the European Parliament and European Council to introduce EU-wide rules to protect cats and dogs. FVE reported that it was ‘overjoyed’ to see measures including mandatory identification and microchipping for all cats and dogs, which it had long advocated for.

The announcement was the latest success for an influential veterinary body that develops and coordinates the veterinary voice in Europe, on behalf of 330,000 vets from 38 European countries, and has now been doing so for 50 years. For UK vets, our perspective and policies are fed into FVE’s agenda by BVA and RCVS, as the UK’s national representatives.

I was fortunate to gain my first insight into FVE’s role and remit 20 years ago, when BVA was inputting to FVE’s policy position on ending the EU wild bird trade. Capturing and transporting wild birds to be kept as pets in the EU had implications for human health, animal welfare, biodiversity loss and the economy, and when the trade was permanently banned in January 2007 over a million birds annually were spared from the associated suffering. During the course of the lobbying that preceded the ban, alongside environmental and animal welfare NGOs, I had opportunities to advocate BVA and FVE’s evidence-based position at the European institutions in Brussels and Strasbourg. 

That advocacy, and ultimate success, was characteristic of FVE’s approach and influence. The Federation’s 2026-2030 strategy, adopted at the General Assembly last month, re-emphasises FVE’s expertise in representing a science-led healthcare profession that champions animal health and welfare, public health, safe food and sustainable livelihoods. Like BVA in the UK, a passionate and relatively small team of staff and volunteers pursue a steadfast mission to support vets in their professional lives and to develop and advocate credible, informed and unified positions on pressing issues of veterinary importance. 

Like BVA, FVE is committed to transparent, consultative, democratic decision-making through its structure and governance. With its national members, working group members, board, staff team, and its four Sections – the Union of Veterinary Practitioners (UEVP), European Association of State Veterinary Officers (EASVO), Union of Veterinary Hygienists (UEVH) and European Veterinarians in Education, Research and Industry (EVERI) – it pursues its simple but essential Vision: to ensure that our profession is trusted to safeguard the health and welfare of animals, people and the planet.

While the UK is no longer a member of the European Union, we are still a part of Europe and the European veterinary family. It is the UK profession’s privilege, and in our national interest, in a post-Brexit world to continue working shoulder-to-shoulder with our European friends and colleagues, celebrating our ties and coordinating on our common challenges.

FVE’s new strategy pays keen attention to the profession’s external operating context, recognising the rise of digital technologies and the impacts of climate change, geopolitical instability and global health threats. It also places a focus on workforce distribution challenges, increasing regulatory demands and the societal shifts in attitudes towards animals and the profession that we ignore at our peril. In response, there are numerous examples of FVE achieving successes across its focus areas.

On One Health, for example, FVE enjoys a strong working relationship with the Standing Committee of European Doctors, jointly addressing the challenges of antimicrobial resistance, zoonoses and recognising the interdependences of the two professions in delivering human and animal healthcare. On sustainability, FVE’s position on Sustainable Food Systems includes actions towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, supporting a circular economy and raising consumer awareness on the need for sustainable food systems. While on animal welfare, driven by FVE’s Animal Welfare Working Group and guided by the Federation’s animal welfare strategy The Veterinary Voice for Europe’s Animals, recent policy has underpinned priority topics such as transitioning away from cages and crates for laying hens and sows, and phasing out fur farming. Several of these positions have been amplified globally through joint-working with organisations including the World Veterinary Association, World Small Animal Veterinary Association, the Federation of European Equine Veterinary Associations, the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations, the European Association of Porcine Health Management and others.

The newly announced Regulation on cats and dogs shows how this policy work achieves substantial real-world impacts. When formally adopted by the Council and European Parliament, it will then be published in the Official Journal in 2026 to start applying two years later. Described by European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, as a ‘turning point’ for the welfare of dogs and cats across Europe, it will include legislation to ban the breeding of dogs and cats with exaggerated conformation and prohibit surgical mutilations – issues that have also been the focus of sustained BVA lobbying in the UK. It is the latest reminder of how domestic veterinary priorities are often shared pan-European and global priorities, and is a demonstration of how a strong veterinary voice in Europe, taking a One Health-One Welfare approach, is delivering sustainable, ethically responsible practices for animals, people and the environment. UK vets can share in FVE’s deserved pride at reaching its significant milestone and look forward to contributing to its further achievements over the critical years ahead.