Four institutes of Freie Universität Berlin’s Department of Veterinary Medicine have been grouped together by the United Nations and elevated to the status of a Reference Center for Veterinary Public Health. As the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced in Rome, the scientists at the new FAO Reference Center for Veterinary Public Health will focus on issues of healthy livestock and food production in developing countries and emerging economies. Their duties will include consulting, on-site analyses, and troubleshooting. The four participating institutes are the Institute of Animal Welfare and Behavior, the Postgraduate Studies in International Animal Health unit, the Institute of Food Hygiene, and the Institute of Meat Technology and Hygiene.