1.1 Introduction
The need for basic and applied animal health protection and disease control research continues to demand attention. There is a critical need to strengthen integrated animal health management programs to facilitate the transfer of information and technology from laboratory to the producer/consumer. Research is needed to prevent introductions of pathogens into the food chain by developing methods to reduce or eliminate them from animals during production.
Currently not enough scientifically-based information is available to define what constitutes a state of well-being in animals. Behavioral, physiological, health, and production parameters need to be incorporated into animal health research. This will lead to improved management practices and systems which will ensure the well-being of animals while maintaining affordability and competitiveness for producers.