Representatives from the Global Burden of Animal Diseases (GBADs) programme took part in the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation held in Rome from 29 September to 1 October 2025. The event brought together international partners, researchers and policymakers to discuss tools and approaches for improving decision-making and investment in the livestock sector.

Discussions during the conference highlighted the continued need for reliable, comprehensive data to inform livestock investment decisions.  Participants called for improved access to consistent, evidence-based information on health impacts to strengthen the interpretation of decision support tool outputs and enable more transparent prioritisation. GBADs’ work to generate publicly available burden estimates and associated parameter libraries about the impact of animal diseases was recognised as an important resource in this area.

Training and capacity development also emerged as an area where further collaboration may be beneficial. With growing interest in the application of new modelling tools, participants identified opportunities to support national teams in building skills for evidence-based livestock planning.

GBADs will continue engaging with FAO and international partners as work progresses to strengthen data, tools and capacity for sustainable livestock development

If you would like to know more about GBADs, contact us