The first independent animal husbandry department was founded 150 years ago

(Photo: AM/Tibor Vermes)

Sándor Farkas recalled at the jubilee meeting organized at the University of Veterinary Medicine that, while initially the focus of veterinary medicine was the health protection of the horse herd, which was of paramount importance from a military point of view, later the focus shifted to animal husbandry. Ágoston Trefort played a significant role in this, as he created the first independent department of animal husbandry, the first head of which it was Béla Tormay. The past century and a half has brought many changes in the life of the Department of Animal Husbandry: innovation and research results have contributed to the joint development of animal husbandry and animal health.

What has not changed, however, is the clear and unambiguous basic principle formulated 150 years ago

This states that successful breeding and production activities can only be carried out with healthy animals. That is why veterinary knowledge and continuous scientific research contribute greatly to the performance of agriculture, and thus the Hungarian economy, and to food safety, which is of increasing importance, said the deputy minister. In his presentation, he mentioned the animal diseases that threaten livestock – bird flu, African swine fever, and bovine tuberculosis – in the prevention of which veterinarians have a very important role to play. An outstanding animal health result of recent years is that the Hungarian domestic pig population has been protected from the African swine fever disease, which means economic benefits and export opportunities for Hungary. Sándor Farkas emphasized: food safety regulations and continuous inspections ensure that healthy food is placed on the tables of Hungarian families and on international markets. This is also a task of high importance for the government, which is why, within the framework of the new Common Agricultural Policy, a part of the subsidies given to agricultural actors will be used specifically for the fight against antibiotic-resistant pathogens, which will also help the work of veterinarians.

AM