INTERVIEW ▶▶▶
“One Health approach is essential”
Dutch veterinarian Rens van Dobbenburgh has been president of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) since June 2019. He comments on the impact of COVID-19 on veterinarians in Europe. “So far there is no evidence that animals play a substantial role in the spread of COVID-19, but it does have its consequences for veterinary medicine.”
BY DICK VAN DOORN
“An important issue close to the heart of every veterinari- an is the protec- tion of animal welfare,” says Dobbenburgh.
R
ens van Dobbenburgh is at the helm of one of the largest and most influential veterinary professional organisations in the world. FVE has member organi- sations in 40 European countries, including all EU
member states. Through these members FVE represents around 300,000 veterinarians. FVE aims to enhance animal health, animal welfare and public health by supporting veter- inarians in fulfilling their roles in the best possible way. Before his election as FVE president in June 2019, Van Dobbenburgh was a board member of the Royal Dutch Veterinary Associa- tion (KNMvD) and of the European Association of Veterinary Practitioners (UEVP). The mandate for his current position is
two years, and can be prolonged once for another two years. “That they elected me is probably because I am a fairly expe- rienced veteran,” laughs Rens van Dobbenburgh. Notwith- standing his experience, he was very excited to be elected by the FVE General Assembly. “There are so many things going on in the animal sector at the moment and being FVE’s presi- dent is a major responsibility. Fortunately, I have a strong team around me, which makes a huge difference”. FVE covers a wide range of topics, including animal disease outbreaks, antibiotic policy, animal welfare, food safety, veterinary train- ing and, of course, COVID-19. Alongside his FVE presidency Van Dobbenburgh still holds his position as Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) at Covetrus. “I am glad that Covetrus has given me the space and time to work for the FVE. It’s part of their vision to support the veterinary profession.”
Always looking for ‘overarching goals’ As chairman of the FVE, Van Dobbenburgh sometimes has to tread lightly. As an organisation FVE has to represent the
6 ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 7, 2020
PHOTO: DICK VAN DOORN
PHOTO: SEBASTIEN TIBEAU
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
