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THE FVO MISSION 

WHO ARE WE?

We are:

• a centre of excellence for animal welfare and we aim our efforts at promoting human and animal health;

• a service centre, a research centre, and an information centre; and

• guided by scientific, ethical and economical principles.

WHAT ARE OUR OBJECTIVES?

We want:

• healthy animals;

• to protect people from zoonoses;

• food products of animal origin which are hygienically irreproachable, have a minimum of residues, are not fraudulent, and do not jeopardise the health of the consumer;

• care in our stewardship of animals, appropriate husbandry methods, and responsible utilisation of animal resources;

• sustainable utilisation of free-living species of animals;

• to guarantee that health-related requirements are maintained for animals and products of animal origin to have access to the international markets;

• to generate transparency -- hence, confidence; and

• to be the information platform for veterinary matters.

WHAT ARE OUR MANDATES ?

They are:

• to prepare laws and regulations;

• to be responsible for the implementation of federal regulations;

• to co-ordinate and support implementation of such regulations in the cantons;

• to conceive training and continuing education programmes;

• to organise and to support training and continuing education courses;

• to provide interested parties and the general public with pertinent information;

• to carry out and sponsor research and development projects and to make use of the resulting information;

• to develop and support programmes aimed at protecting human health and at preventing and/or controlling animal diseases; and

• to collaborate with pertinent national and international organisations.

HOW DO WE MEET THE TASK?

By way of:

• defining domains of activities with clear mandates, responsibilities and qualifications;

• promoting autonomy and self-initiative among our collaborators and their participation in the decision process within their respective fields of competence;

• considering management tasks and technical/scientific tasks as equally important and allowing adequate time for both;

• encouraging training and continued education for our personnel in the areas of leadership, technical proficiency and social involvement;

• taking both protection of the environment and safety at work seriously;

• creating a work environment which favours open and direct communication, which promotes conflict settlement, which is free of discrimination, and which reflects mutual respect and confidence;

• thinking and working with the future in mind, taking a holistic approach, and being both objective and client oriented; and

• by working with reliability and with dedication.

The Swiss Federal Veterinary Office represents Switzerland in various international organisations or maintains close contact together with other Federal Offices. The Swiss Federal Veterinary Office is active in all areas of animal health, animal welfare and species protection as well as in the area of consumer safety related to the consumption of animal products.