Saarc action plan for cooperation in animal health

In order to achieve better regional cooperation, senior veterinary officers from Saarc countries have drawn an action plan with special emphasis on regional disease reporting mechanism and building up network of quality diagnostic laboratories.

The plan also focuses on creating an early alert system, as well as harmonisation of veterinary services across the region through performance evaluation as well as continuous education.

Addressing a two-day conference of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (Saarc) Chiefs of Veterinary Services, the Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) N Ravi emphasised the need for regional cooperation to protect livestock farmers and humans from possible dangers of livestock diseases in the region.

It would include timely information sharing, adopting biosecurity measures in animal production, regional surveillance as an early warning system, capacity building and progressive harmonisation of veterinary services for effective management of Trans-boundary Animal Diseases (TADs) in the sub-region.

The conference was attended by the Chief Veterinary Officers of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India and their colleagues.

They analysed the animal health situation in the region with special focus on TADs, like high pathogenic avian influenza, foot and mouth disease and pests des petit ruminants (PPR).

The critical gaps in resource mobilisation, manpower availability, capabilities and other enabling mechanisms available with the member states were identified at the meeting, besides identifying action points both at regional and national levels.

The recommendations of the meeting will be placed before the next meeting of the Saarc Technical Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and subsequently to the meeting of the Saarc Agricultural Ministers scheduled to be held towards end 2008.

India remained committed to discharge its responsibilities on non-reciprocal basis by offering assistance in diagnosis and management of major TADs and also the first two training programmes in the form of continuous veterinary education for the veterinary professionals of the member states.