A European farmers' view of free trade and risk assessment for veterinary biologicals.

In Europe, farmers request that they be supplied with the right drug in the right place for the right animal at the right price: no more, no less. They are not concerned which country or company produces the veterinary biologicals used. Farmers are advised by the veterinary practitioner, but knowledge of neither the country of manufacture nor the producer determines their choice. This attitude is due to the quality of the pharmaceutical products available. European farmers support free trade and the implementation of scientific risk assessment. In the view of European farmers, the system of equivalent measurement should be adopted: countries may have different systems to check the quality of veterinary products, but the outcome should be the same, i.e. a guarantee of quality, safety and efficacy.