On December 8th of this year, a conference titled “One Health in EFSA Practice – an Interdisciplinary Perspective on Food Safety, Public Health, and the Environment” was held at the headquarters of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate in Warsaw. It was organized by the Polish Focal Point of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), located at the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate (GIS).

In addition to representatives from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the conference was attended by representatives of control and scientific institutions: the Chief Veterinary Officer, the Chief Inspector for Plant Protection and Seed Production, the Chief Inspector for Commercial Quality of Agri-Food Products, representatives of the National Institute of Public Health PZH – National Research Institute, the National Veterinary Research Institute, and the Research Institute of Horticulture – National Research Institute. Our Institute was represented by Professor Mirosław Polak, Deputy Director for Research, and Professor Artur Rzeżutka from the Department of Microbiological Food and Feed Research. The involvement of PIWet-PIB in scientific activities within the “One Health” approach was presented, as well as one of the projects implemented with EFSA’s support, titled: “OH4 surveillance – Establishing coordinated surveillance under the One Health approach” in the context of threats from selected transboundary pathogens (tick-borne encephalitis virus, swine influenza A virus, hepatitis E virus, Rift Valley fever virus, and Echinococcus tapeworm).

The conference provided an opportunity to learn about the activities undertaken by various institutions within the “One Health” initiative. Networking among partners is crucial for developing future cooperation.