H.E. Dr. Alfredo Rocafort Nicolau, PhD in Economic Sciences and in Law, is admitted as a Numerary Member of the Academy of Veterinary Sciences of Catalonia (ACVC), with the speech “Una sola salud con fundamento económico. La salud animal como valor propio y motor de bienestar humano” (One Health with an economic foundation. Animal health as an intrinsic value and a driver of human well-being).

Response by: H.E. Dr. M. Àngels Calvo, PhD in Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Numerary Member

Assembly Hall of the Official College of Veterinarians of Barcelona (COVB), headquarters of the ACVC. Av. República Argentina, 25 – 08023 Barcelona

Thursday, 9 April 2026

18:30 h

Format: On-site

Registration: Free admission until full capacity is reached

One Health with an economic foundation. Animal health as an intrinsic value and a driver of human well-being

Dr. Alfredo Rocafort

This speech examines the One Health paradigm as an integrative framework for understanding the major health challenges of the 21st century, highlighting the interdependence between human health, animal health, plant health and ecosystem health.

From this perspective, it is argued that health can no longer be addressed solely from strictly biomedical or veterinary approaches, but also requires contributions from economic analysis, law and public institutions.

In this context, it is entirely appropriate for a PhD in Economic Sciences and Law to join an academy of veterinary sciences: not as an exception, but as an expression of the necessary convergence between disciplines in the face of complex and interdependent problems. The text argues that animal health has intrinsic value, but also constitutes a decisive factor for human well-being, food security, the stability of productive systems and environmental sustainability.

It also analyses how certain economic models may generate health risks and wide-ranging externalities, and proposes the circular economy as an operational framework capable of translating the principles of One Health into more preventive, resilient and sustainable systems. From this approach, veterinary science is presented as a central discipline in articulating the relationship between public health, food production, animal welfare and ecological balance.

The speech concludes that protecting the health of animals and ecosystems is not only an ethical or scientific requirement, but also an economic, legal and social condition for ensuring lasting human well-being.