The overriding concern with regard to food in the 1950s was security of supply as Europe recovered from the war. Therefore, animal
disease outbreaks were particularly devastating, as they could mean fewer animal products for an already depleted market. In
addition, animal diseases (such as tuberculosis) and parasites (such as Trichinella) were common and serious threats to human
health in the 1950s. For these reasons, improving animal health became vitally important, and so standard veterinary procedures and
practices began to be developed with this goal in mind. As the link between the wellbeing of animals and their overall health has
become more apparent over the last decades, EU animal welfare legislation has also emerged and evolved.