The role of official veterinary services in dealing with new social challenges: animal health and protection, food safety, and the environment.

The authors describe the role of Veterinary Services in dealing with developments in society and the challenges they present. In an increasingly globalised world, in which there are new methods of production, a new and changing relationship between humans and animals and increasingly complex and global problems, the protection of public health and the safety of the environment in which people and animals live require new skills, new knowledge and new technical-scientific responses. Official Veterinary Services are responsible for maintaining hygiene and animal health standards in primary and secondary production and ensuring fair trade. To achieve this, Veterinary Services must ensure that their organisational structures meet internationally recognised quality assurance standards.