Ceva boss hails ’sustainable future’ as new HQ opens

A major animal health company has hailed the opening of its new global headquarters as a significant milestone in its efforts to tackle new and developing disease threats.

Ceva Animal Health’s new base in Libourne, south-west France, was formally unveiled at a ceremony on 4 July where guests, including regional political leaders, heard the firm was “entering a new era”.

Chairman and chief executive Marc Prikazsky said: “The opening of our new global headquarters marks a pivotal moment in Ceva’s journey as a leader in animal health.

“It embodies our core beliefs and commitment to innovation, driving us towards a more connected and sustainable future in animal health.”

Pandemic implications

The ceremony took place a day after AnimalHealthEurope’s annual conference in Brussels had heard the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago had exposed weaknesses in veterinary, as well as human, health systems.

Earlier this year, the organisation – of which Ceva is one of 14 corporate members – called for government institutions to focus more of their efforts on the prevention of disease outbreaks, plus a permanent veterinary medicine supply agreement between the UK and EU.

Meanwhile, the UK’s own readiness was heavily criticised in a recent National Audit Office report amid the continuing political debate over redevelopment of the APHA’s Weybridge headquarters.

Emerging disease

Edouard Timsit, Ceva’s director of livestock innovation, said the emerging disease threat had intensified as a result of factors including globalisation, intensification of production processes and climate change, with the latter bringing threats such as bluetongue and African swine fever to previously unaffected areas.

He also highlighted the foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks that affected parts of Germany, Hungary and Slovakia earlier this year and cautioned of a continuing lack of clarity over their origins.

But he stressed he had been encouraged by policymakers’ early response to the threat posed by lumpy skin disease, describing that as “a lot more proactive”.

He added: “They are taking measures to promote preparedness. The real issue will be money.”

Meanwhile, Ceva’s Europe vice-president Loic Jegou was appointed as AnimalHealthEurope’s new treasurer, for a two-year term, at its general assembly.

Design

Around 450 staff work in the new building at Libourne, around 35km east of Bordeaux, the circular design of which is said to reflect the company’s ambitions.

Ceva, which now employs more than 7,000 people across 47 countries, recorded turnover of €1.77 billion (£1.52 billion) in 2024 and has said it aims to be a leading provider of poultry vaccines and develop treatments for emerging diseases over the next five years.

Its existing Libourne campus, which acts as both a research and development hub and a central site for distribution of vaccines and pharmaceutical products, is also currently undergoing redevelopment, with the work expected to be completed in the next two to three years.