ANSES and the IFCE strengthen their cooperation with a partnership agreement
Having found common ground through their concerns for equine health, ANSES and the IFCE today signed a partnership agreement at the Paris International Agricultural Show. It consolidates and strengthens the ways in which the two organisations work together in this field, while capitalising on their complementary skills.
This partnership will enable them to pool their skills while showing consideration for their respective missions. It provides for closer cooperation in several areas of equine health:
- health surveillance and monitoring of mortality in French equine populations, to which the IFCE will contribute through the data it holds and the support of its experts. These data will be used in a research project on the combined use of demographic and health data on horses;
- management of parasitism and the rational use of deworming in horses: the IFCE and ANSES wish to develop an expert system to identify risk periods in consignments of horses and initiate the introduction of a selective treatment strategy;
- the study of risks and exposure of horses and professionals in the sector, with the aim of working together on microbial and mycological risks;
- reproductive infectious diseases, with the development of new treatments as an alternative to antibiotic therapy;
- outreach and knowledge dissemination.
ANSES, the French health and safety agency
ANSES provides public decision-makers with the scientific benchmarks needed to protect humans and the environment against health risks. It studies, assesses and monitors all the chemical, microbiological and physical risks to which humans, animals and plants are exposed, thereby helping the public authorities take the necessary measures, including in the event of a health crisis. It issues marketing authorisations for veterinary medicinal products, plant protection products and biocides. A national agency working in the public interest, ANSES comes under the responsibility of the French Ministries of Health, the Environment, Agriculture, Labour and Consumer Affairs.
The IFCE, a technical reference institute for the equine sector
The French Horse and Riding Institute (IFCE) is the public body that supports the professional development of the equine sector. It arose from the merger of two entities in 2010: the Haras National (National Stud Farms) and the Cadre Noir de Saumur. The IFCE is a technical institute that provides support and expertise and undertakes applied research.
Its main activities are research, innovation and knowledge production and transfer; training to develop professional skills; promotion of French equestrian heritage; regulatory expertise and support for the equine sector; health and zootechnical traceability of horses; contribution to policies in support of equestrian sports.