Several international experts in animal health and nutrition were present at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, where their expert testimony on the solutions to the wide array of challenges facing animal production could be heard by a global audience. Prof. Johanna Fink-Gremmels, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and expert in Veterinary Toxicology who works with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) traveled to the conference from the Netherlands in order to speak to audiences on the future of animal health, which she believes must begin to become more holistic.

“When we have previously talked about the food chain, we have always been talking about food security and food safety, but as we are being confronted with antimicrobial resistance as one of the biggest global challenges facing our world, we have to find additional means and tools to analyze it and to stop it,” said Dr. Fink-Gremmels during an interview at the conference. “And in the frame of these activities, we are beginning to look into the food chain and having a one health approach, where we focus on caring for people, as well as having another view of animal production and a focus on the environment.”

Dr. Fink-Gremmels discussed this one health approach in her special session during the conference, titled “A Holistic View of the Food Chain.” She discussed the future role of veterinarians in finding solutions to problems like antibiotic resistance, and that many of these solutions may easily be found within our soil.

“I’m talking this week about the link between animal production, antimicrobial resistance, and people, which is the environment, and my message lies behind using the soil to help take care of all of these things, so we don’t only have healthy people and animals, but happy people and animals,” she said.

Listen to Lizzy’s full interview with Dr. Fink-Gremmels here
Interview with Dr. Johanna Fink-Gremmels, EFSA

View and download photos from the event here:2016 ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference Photo Album