'Animals are good for you – be good to them'


Heard from IFAH-Europe horse's mouth
Brussels, Belgium, 21 June 2023: 'Animals are good for you – be good to them' this is
the message that Healthy Happy Horse carries, IFAH-Europe's colourful horse model,
an artwork by Belgian artist Veronique Sabban, representing the animal health
industry's commitment to improving the quality of life for both animals and people.
IFAH-Europe's horse model is part of the 'Horse Parade Belgium', which opens
today in Brussels.

Susanne Zänker, IFAH-Europe Managing Director recently declared, 'this is a slogan that
is very dear to us, as it refers to the link between animals and mankind, and about care
and respect. Animals improve our lives and this is our little homage to them'. Healthy
Happy Horse is also a symbol for a so-called 'minor' animal species and is linked to the
need to increase the availability of animal medicines and vaccines in the extensively
regulated environment of animal health.

Avril Doyle MEP, Member of the European Parliament and President of the Equestrian
Federation of Ireland, believes that there is still a major consumer-choice and animalhealth
dilemma surrounding the availability of medicines for minor animal species and
minor markets and ailments. 'In order to address the problem of the availability of
medicines, which is extremely important for animal health and welfare, we must put userfriendly
mechanisms in place to incentivise research into medicines for minor species and
minor markets; through simplifying testing procedures; through admitting evidence of
scientific trials on humans … and through accessing funding for animal health research
projects within the upcoming 7th Research Framework Programme of the European Union'
she has affirmed.

Avril Doyle is also the IFAH-Europe horse's godmother and recently referred to Healthy
Happy Horse as a symbol of nobility, in allusion to South African poet Ronald Duncan's
poem 'Nobility – the horse's story is the story of this land', which reads:'Where in this wide
world can man find nobility without pride, friendship without envy, or beauty without
vanity? …'.

IFAH-Europe's Healthy Happy Horse is part of the' Horse Parade Belgium', a colourful and
artistic open-air exhibition of 186 horse models, which will run from today 21 June to 21
September 2005 in various Belgian towns; first at the Parc du Cinquantenaire in Brussels –
from 21 June to 10 July. Then it will move to Liege, Knokke, Waregem and Antwerp, and
will end at the Mont des Arts in Brussels.


Ends


Notes to Editors:

IFAH-Europe is the representative body of manufacturers of veterinary medicines, vaccines and
other animal health products in Europe and comprises 14 Member Companies and 15 National
Associations throughout Europe.
For further information on IFAH-Europe, please visit http://www.ifahsec.org/Europe

Pictures of IFAH-Europe's Healthy Happy Horse are available at
http://www.ifahsec.org/Europe/events/lisbon/photos.htm

Horse Parade Belgium 2005 website: www.horseparade.be

For further information on the issue covered by this Press Release, please contact Myriam Alcain,
Communications Project Coordinator

IFAH-Europe
Rue Defacqz, 1
B-1000 Brussels
Tel.: +32 (0) 2 543 7564
Fax: +32 (0) 2 537 0049
E-mail: [email protected]