Veterinary Groups Rally for Better Regulation Across the EU as Animal Welfare Reaches a Defining Moment

The European Union is being pressured to update its animal health and welfare regulations by veterinary organizations throughout the continent. Their campaign, spearheaded by AnimalhealthEurope, the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), and the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (FECAVA), is particularly committed to replacing antiquated regulations with standards based on science and current ethical considerations.

Restructuring Europe’s vaccination program, which they claim still functions more like an emergency response team than a preventative system, is a specific area of concern for these organizations. “We need to stop chasing outbreaks and start preventing them,” stated Roxane Fuller, Secretary General of AnimalhealthEurope, highlighting how Europe’s disjointed approach to animal health has been put to the test by the recent spread of avian flu and bluetongue. On World Animal Vaccination Day, her message was extraordinarily successful in drawing attention to the problem.

According to Siegfried Moder, President of the FVE, veterinarians are advocating for “a fundamental shift from reaction to prevention.” He emphasized that in order to provide a uniform defense against transboundary illnesses, vaccinations must be available in all EU member states. The appeal speaks to a larger issue: national laws frequently clash or overlap under Europe’s patchwork veterinary system. During emergencies, this discrepancy has drastically decreased efficiency, making it difficult for veterinarians to save both cattle and livelihoods.

Equal attention has been paid to another long-standing issue: animal travel. Currently, EU regulations permit the transportation of animals over long distances in conditions that many veterinarians find intolerable. In addition to advocating for temperature limitations and shorter travel times, FVE and its partners maintain that calves younger than four weeks old should never be transported. One Danish veterinarian participating in the campaign said, “Animals are not commodities that can be shipped without consequences.” “Just as humans would in such circumstances, they feel stress, pain, and tiredness.”

Although many in the veterinary industry contend that the revisions will be ineffective without harsher punishments, the European Commission’s plan to update transport legislation after twenty years was welcomed as a step forward. Their demand is very clear: laws must be open, uniform, and enforceable to prevent the sacrifice of animal care for financial gain.

The fight against the unregulated online pet trade is equally urgent. The online sale of dogs and cats has long served as a haven for disease transmission, subpar breeding circumstances, and illicit trafficking. FVE and FECAVA have been advocating for stricter digital traceability regulations for a long time, and their efforts have lately paid off. The first-ever union-wide welfare and traceability criteria for dogs and cats, including mandatory microchipping and veterinarian registration, were established by a provisional agreement signed by the EU.

FECAVA President Danny Holmes praised the new framework as a “turning point” in companion animal protection, calling it “particularly innovative.” However, he cautioned that laws must change at the same rate as technology. He asserted that “online trade evolves more quickly than legislation.” “In the absence of ongoing adaptation, illicit networks will merely discover new vulnerabilities.” His caution is valid because sick animals and unregistered breeders are still being promoted as “purebred” or “rescued” on social media markets throughout Europe.

Meanwhile, another veterinary dispute—this one involving antibiotics—has turned Spain into its focal point. Spanish veterinarians have been opposing Royal Decree 666/2023, a rule that limits the prescription and distribution of antimicrobial medications, since January 2025. Veterinarians are no longer allowed to sell drugs directly to pet owners under this policy, and all antibiotic prescriptions must be entered into a national database. Fines for violations can reach €1.2 million.

Although practitioners claim that the law’s implementation has been unduly cumbersome, the law was intended to reduce antibiotic resistance. Anesthesia specialist Dr. Veronica Salazar of Madrid explained how documenting prescriptions takes up important consulting time. “An additional ten minutes per patient may not seem like much, but over the course of a day, it can be a significant burden,” she stated. Veterinarians in Spain have staged statewide strikes to call for reform, echoing her displeasure.

The limitations have unforeseen repercussions, according to Dr. Gonzalo Moreno del Val, President of the Alicante College of Veterinarians. “It is counterproductive that we are forced to use stronger drugs when milder ones would suffice,” he said. Officials have refused to rescind the rule, giving only limited flexibility and reduced fines, despite recent calls from the Spanish Senate for the government to reevaluate it. The Spanish veterinary council’s Álvaro Mateos cautioned that these compromises were “at best symbolic.”

Spain’s stalemate is being closely watched by the larger European veterinary community, which views it as a test case for how far regulation may go before endangering welfare. Mateos emphasized how excessive regulation runs the risk of undermining the same cause it is intended to safeguard by saying, “Veterinarians are the guardians of antimicrobial resistance, not the culprits.”

Across the EU, parallel discussions about farm animal welfare are taking place. The long-delayed overhaul of on-farm welfare legislation has been resurrected by the European Commission’s “Vision for Agriculture and Food 2025.” The “End the Cage Age” campaign, which was spearheaded by citizens and amassed over 1.4 million signatures, served as the impetus for the phase-out of laying hen and pig cages. More than 700 people have responded to consultations, demonstrating the public’s rising concern over intensive farming methods.

Veterinary associations contend that profitability and ethical advancement can coexist, while farmers are concerned about the financial effects of swift transformation. A Dutch veterinarian who participated in EU consultations stated, “Farms that transition thoughtfully often see higher yields and better public trust.” She went on to say that cage-free systems are not only incredibly effective at enhancing animal health and product quality, but they are also incredibly humane when given enough time and money.

Additionally, the fur farming controversy has returned to the political front in the EU. Veterinary and animal welfare groups have reiterated their calls for a complete ban following several disease outbreaks on mink farms. Fur cultivation is “a public health risk and a moral anachronism,” according to FVE. According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, over 70% of Europeans are in favor of completely banning fur manufacture. A significant trend in society toward ethical consumption is reflected in the movement, which has been strengthened by social media ads that feature well-known animal champions like Brigitte Bardot.

More broadly, veterinary activism is influencing European policymakers’ definitions of accountability and compassion. These experts are changing the connection between science, ethics, and legislation in addition to providing care for animals. Their work shows how regulation may change when it is informed by empathy and reason, which is where moral clarity and technical accuracy meet.

Political momentum is also growing. Spain, Italy, Poland, Denmark, and the Netherlands are the five EU nations who have asked Brussels to expedite changes. Their position shows that national governments and veterinary associations are remarkably aligned, a collaboration that may propel the EU’s next significant advancement in animal care.

“When veterinarians rally, they do it with both data and heart,” one policy advisor in Brussels noted. The EU may have the best chance of enacting laws that actually safeguard life in all its forms if it can strike this balance between reason and compassion.

Veterinary organizations are defending the future of ethical stewardship, not just advocating for improved regulations. Their unified voice throughout Europe is proof of what happens when professionals demand that policy align with philosophy and refuse to settle for less. By means of cooperation, perseverance, and remarkable scientific lucidity, they are transforming the European definition of humanitarian progress — not as a goal, but as an attainable benchmark.