By Martin Banks - 21st June 2010
The demand for animal protein is expected to double by 2050
George Alagiah
Top BBC journalist George Alagiah has urged Europe’s decision makers to do more to address the global food "crisis."
The news anchor told a Brussels conference that the world needs to increase food production by 100 per cent by the year 2050 "in order to sustain itself."
He said, "As the world’s population continues to grow, and more and more households in emerging economies join the world’s middle class, the demand for animal protein is expected to double by 2050.
The conference was organised by the International Federation for Animal Health Europe (IFAHEurope).
Those attending the conference were told that there is an "urgent need for realistic" policies to address the challenge and the role the animal health industry can play.
It heard that protein derived from animals, whether meat, eggs, dairy, honey or fish are valuable parts of the global diet.
However, at present, 1.02 billion people do not have enough to eat, 907 million of these live in the developing world.
Jeff Simmons, President of Elanco Animal Health, said “Some 20 per cent of animal productivity is lost due to diseases in animals. We know that in some regions of the world, the need for animal protein is simply not met.
"Preventing and controlling existing diseases such as coccidiosis, tuberculosis, salmonella, bluetongue and foot and mouth disease along with emerging diseases plays a huge role in safeguarding livestock to feed the world population."
Bernard Vallat, of the World Animal Health Organisation, called for Europe to "think beyond its boundaries" and support animal health in developing countries
He said, “Losses in diseases in farmed animals are particularly felt in developing countries whose livelihood is very dependent on animal production.
"Two-thirds of the world's poorest rely on their food-producing animals for their survival. It is therefore extremely important to help developing countries to strengthen their veterinary services and laboratory capacity to enable them to assure prevention, early detection and control of animal diseases.”
"Improving the health of livestock requires high quality veterinary medicines and innovative technologies."
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