Animal health and welfare
Farmers
and veterinary services around the globe face unprecedented challenges.
Livestock production and trade become increasingly important by the
day, leading to higher competitive pressures for established producers.
Global movement of animals and animal products, tourism, and other
factors such as climate change contribute to the emergence of livestock
epidemics that spread rapidly across international borders. Both
consumers and policy makers increasingly demand higher standards in
animal production and welfare.
To address these challenges, global efforts to improve veterinary
systems and their governance have been taken, such as the promotion of
prevention-oriented policies, more effective surveillance and control
systems, and a better sharing of related burdens and responsibilities
among governments and farmers. Civic Consulting is supporting the
European Commission, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE),
the World Bank, and other international and national bodies in better
understanding the challenges facing the veterinary system and livestock
farmers and in designing evidence-based policies to address them.
A prime example of our work is the evaluation of the EU animal health policy, and a related study on cost-sharing schemes for epidemic livestock diseases,
which paved the way for a new approach at the EU level. “Prevention is
better than cure” is the title of the EU animal health strategy
2007–2013, which for the first time establishes EU strategic aims and
objectives for animal health. Other recent assignments include economic
analyses conducted for the OIE, including a study on the costs of national prevention systems for animal diseases and zoonoses; a feasibility study concerning a global fund for emergency response in developing countries; and a study on the feasibility of supporting insurance of livestock disease losses. In the area of animal welfare, we have conducted feasibility studies on topics such as animal
welfare labelling on products of animal origin and the establishment of
an EU Community Reference Centre for Animal Protection and Welfare.
Civic Consulting has specific expertise in conducting
multi-country and global studies of veterinary governance and livestock
economics. We have a unique track record of conducting economic
assessments of veterinary systems and measures, both concerning the
cost of surveillance and prevention of animal diseases (including
zoonoses) and the cost of disease outbreaks.
Civic Consulting expertise includes the following areas:
- Animal health and livestock economics
- Animal health and welfare policy
- Veterinary governance
- Veterinary legislation
- SPS measures and trade in animals and animal products
- Public risk management concerning costs of diseases
- Livestock insurance
- Environmental and social aspects of livestock production
 Selected projects
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