The Veterinary and Animal Research Centre – CECAV – was established in 2002 and is hosted by the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) at Vila Real. Since then, CECAV conducts basic and applied research in veterinary and animal science and aims to generate new knowledge in animal health and welfare and in animal production together with research in the area of meat safety and quality. Overall, CECAV aims to contribute to the valorisation of meat and meat products, and also to the global health under the knowledge that animal health will affect Human health.