For a very long time the introduction of veterinary pharmaceutical specialities has not posed great problems for the manufacturers at least not in the European market. Nevertheless many amongst them have devoted themselves to detailed preliminary studies notably in the pharmacological, toxicological and chemical fields. However, the scope of these preliminary studies was often adjusted to the speciality and to the development costs in relation to the size of the market, that was envisaged. Studies along the lines imposed by the F.D.A. were carried out only if and when a product showed a sufficiently promising future to allow for hope of success on the U.S. market. Since four years the situation has changed and for a number of reasons.
Our objective in the pig growth promoter survey was not only to measure existing product usage but also to examine attitudes to the growth promoter/feed additive category in general, and then to establish as clearly as possible farmers' awareness of and attitudes to the specific products on the market. In particular we felt it important to focus on the reasons why particular farmers who had changed the product they used had done so. It is the people who change who often give one the best clues to the dynamics of a particular market situation, and it is often sensible for research to focus its attentions particularly on this group.
Intensive animal rearing in the Netherlands till now is done with veal calves, with piglets and there is made a beginning with lambs and heifers. In general, there can be said that the scale of intensity of rearing is fixed by the economy. The more expensive labor becomes the more sophisticated rearing systems (high in investment costs) will be introduced and again more additives are needed. Also, the size of the holdings has then to increase because there is made less profit pro-animal, so the number of animals pro holding (and pro man) has to increase to get a sufficient income. So economical circumstances give the scale of intensity of rearing. Science and technology have to solve problems and have to give new possibilities, in a world where farmers and their coworkers have a difficult existence.
The material for this paper is based upon the many years of experience Market Investigations has in collecting and publishing data on the veterinary markets. This experience is principally based in Great Britain but more recently in Holland and France. The majority of the data we shall be using in this paper is derived from work relating to the series of Veterinary Indices that we produce but has also been augmented by general information collected through specialised surveys carried out on an ad hoc basis. The theme of this paper is the Differing Structure of Veterinary Practice. This can be approached in two ways and we propose to do just that. The first part of the paper will examine the structure in terms of: the number of veterinary surgeons, the number of veterinary practices, the types and size of veterinary practice and the extent of livestock farming. The second part of the paper will examine the structure of the market for veterinary products.
A simple questionnaire form was first drawn up and studied within the Companies for which the members of the Working Group worked in order to identify any major problems at this initial stage. None emerged. Work on drafting the audit then proceeded so swiftly that an outline scheme was drawn up within six months. We were then left with the rather hard task, during the ensuing 18 months, of devising a scheme for collating data confidentially and for seeking approval for the proposals at various levels within the A.B.P.I.
It is very obvious that there is no Animal Health Care industry awareness in the European Committee in Brussels. With future legislation in mind, there will be a strong pressure on the industry to go only for the bigger markets and to withdraw minor products. The group was disappointed with the lecture on future trends in Animal Husbandry and Legislation. For research directives and long term policies and decisions, one needs to know future trends in Animal Husbandry and the future politics of the European Committee.
It is not intended in this paper to review all the requirements for registration or licensing of medicines, because they are well documented elsewhere and laid down in directives by government agencies, in different countries. Equally, the purpose is not to detail every step that has to be taken by a medicinal product on the long and hazardous path from discovery to marketing, but a sketch map of the route will be drawn, with emphasis on some particular obstacles and dangers that may be encountered on the way. Because a product is only for use in animals, this does net necessarily make the trip any easier. Some of the situations quoted refer to what happens in the United Kingdom, but many can equally apply in Europe and in North America as well as in other parts of the world, like Australia and Japan. Generally, the terms 'veterinary medicine' and 'animal health product' can be considered synonymous and do not refer to a legal or ethical sale and supply status, such as veterinary indicating prescription only, and animal health as on general sale to farmers, including intensive pig and poultry keepers.
For several years now Agridata has supplied in a continuing form (the Animal Health Index) data collected at farm level on the market for non ethical Animal Health products. During this time the nature of the service and the requirements of clients have undergone various changes partly in response to changes in the market and partly as a result of experimentation and development of new research ideas and techniques. Basically the service that has evolved is of regular surveys of established panels of livestock farmers to record usage of the major types of animal health products. A parallel purchase audit was formerly also conducted but reluctance on the part of the farmers to disclose invoices and the problems of cash purchases, suppliers' discounts and VAT necessitated abandoning this audit and developing the usage survey to supply information on the values (sterling) of the various 'on farm' animal health markets. The purpose of the remainder of this paper is to discuss the earlier points made and the reasoning behind the decisions taken on research procedure and how they have been implemented in practice.
The future is entirely in the hands of the consumer, whose decision is determined by his living standards and habits, as well as by the image of the various types of meat and the price developments of the individual types of meat. These prices again are determined by a lot of factors, there also exist close connections between the various types of meat. This complicated combination of forces leads to a resultant or to a real consumption of meat, part of which is white veal. We have identified and analysed above a number of important points or factors, but exact conclusions cannot be drawn from it. In my opinion it can roughly be concluded that no big changes in respect of veal production and consumption will take place. Due to exterior circumstances (like problems around milk-surpluses) the fluctuations in the profitability, which have taken place since 1972, will probably continue progressively and consequently increase the risk. This may have consequences of course for the smaller companies in the milk replacer industries.
The outlines of those veterinary preventive measures which have to he practised in relation to modern industrialised animal production are given, with a special emphasis on the protection of domestic animals against specific pathogenic agents and the development of diseases caused by agents which are usually rather benign but which, under the artificial environmental conditions in industrialised holdings, are able to create disease problems. The introduction of EEC legislation to harmonise national veterinary legislation is a prerequisite to open up trade in the whole of the EEC. These regulations will gradually lead to the coordinated eradication of classical infectious diseases. Future EEC legislation will deal with the coordination of national regulations for the protection of animal and public health in relation to spread of infectious and toxic substances from animal holdings to the environment and even to animal products and to consumers. Only by coordinated international legislation will it be possible to allow large scale production and distribution of animal products but at the same time avoid the distribution of infections, maintaining a constant surveillance and control of noxious agents, thus establishing the necessary safety measures for animal and public health.