FAO Launches Livestock Intelligence Hub at Global One Health Conference in Rome

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) opened its Global Conference for Actions on One Health in Agrifood Systems in Rome on 22 September 2026, bringing together government representatives, scientists, farmers and other stakeholders to advance cross-sectoral cooperation on human, animal, plant and ecosystem health.

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu addressed delegates at the opening, emphasising the need for coordinated action across government ministries and sectors. "One Health is a farmer's agenda, a scientist's agenda, and a Minister's agenda," Qu said, calling for different government ministries and stakeholders to work together.

The conference is directly relevant to the livestock and feed industries, where FAO noted that animal health, feed quality, water, disease risks and environmental conditions are closely connected. The organisation highlighted that degraded soil can affect crops and animal feed, while poor water quality can contribute to pathogen transmission between animals and people.

FAO also pointed to the scale of threats facing food systems, noting that pests and diseases destroy an estimated 20–40% of global crop production each year, while emerging diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate change and food safety risks can affect multiple parts of agrifood systems simultaneously.

New Livestock Intelligence Hub

Alongside the conference, FAO launched the Sustainable Livestock Transformation and One Health Intelligence & Knowledge Hub, an online platform designed to consolidate livestock data, analytical tools, knowledge and information on FAO activities through a single gateway. Its dashboards cover livestock production, animal health risks, antimicrobial resistance, climate and environmental interactions, and economic and social issues. The platform also includes a Livestock AI Assistant to help users navigate FAO's livestock information and tools.

FAO said the platform is designed to help users combine information from different sources, strengthening early warning, preparedness and evidence-based decisions, and provides access to livestock projects, knowledge and expertise at country, regional and global levels.

Avian Influenza Framework

The conference also featured the presentation of a Global Framework to Accelerate Action on Avian Influenza, put forward jointly by FAO, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). The framework sets out joint goals and areas of collaboration on avian influenza across animal and public health, while also addressing wildlife protection.

The conference runs through 23 September 2026 and builds on FAO's planned One Health in Agrifood Systems Framework, which is intended to guide countries in integrating One Health into policies, investments and programmes.