Enhancing safe inter-regional livestock trade: Workshop recommendations

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During the final session of the workshop, Dr Henry Wamwayi of the African Union – Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) read out the draft workshop recommendations which, after a few minor editorial changes, were accepted and adopted by the participants. The workshop recommendations are reproduced below.

Risk-Based Approaches to Livestock Certification and Harmonized Control of Trade-Related Transboundary Animal Diseases

June 13-16, 2011, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Draft Resolution #2

The workshop on enhancing safe inter-regional livestock trade between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East countries was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on June 13-16, 2011. The objectives were to:

  1. Examine the use of the decision support tool for adoption in prevention and control of Rift Valley fever (RVF)
  2. Assemble an approach to regional harmonization for control of other transboundary animal diseases that impact on livestock trade
  3. Delineate animal welfare issues along the marketing chain and propose potential interventions
  4. Devise mechanisms for ensuring enhanced communication between the trading partners
  5. Define the way forward on risk-based approaches to livestock certification

Considering that:

  1. The health and well-being of the people and livestock of the Middle East and the Horn of Africa is a goal shared by all countries in the region;
  2. Economic development and food security in terms of affordable and safe food supplies are a prerequisite for human health and well-being;
  3. There is need to enhance and stabilize safe inter-regional livestock trade as mutually agreed  between the Horn of Africa exporting countries and the Middle East importing countries;
  4. Appropriately regulated safe and transparent trade contributes to economic development and food security in both exporting and importing countries;
  5. Key trade related transboundary animal diseases are acknowledged by all countries in the Region to be regional constraints that can best be addressed through a committed and harmonized regional approach to safeguard human and livestock health and to promote trade in animals and animal products;
  6. The increasing importance of animal welfare in livestock production, marketing and trade;
  7. The critical role of communication in enhancing transparency and trust between the trading partners;
  8. Trading partners may use different approaches to achieve the same objectives in disease control

The workshop participants made recommendations on the following aspects:

  1. Standard methods and procedures (SMP)
  2. Rift Valley fever (RVF) decision support tool (DST)
  3. Communication between livestock trading partners
  4. Animal health certification
  5. Animal welfare
  6. Application of the principle of equivalence

Standard methods and procedures (SMP)

  1. Put in place a program on standard methods and procedures based on OIE standards to form the basis for harmonization and coordination of disease control and livestock trade activities in the Horn of Africa region. (Action: AU-IBAR)
  2. The documentation of value chain activities, completion of risk analyses and the development of appropriate protocols to be shared among the trading partners.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) decision support tool (DST)

  1. Inputs from the representatives of importing and exporting countries, quarantine station operators, traders and international organizations during this meeting be incorporated into the existing RVF DST and used as a framework to mitigate trade risk. (Action: ILRI)
  2. Explore the application of the DST process to other diseases.
  3. The OIE standards and the recommendations of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code and Terrestrial Manual be reviewed, particularly in relation to trade related issues and diagnostic procedures. (Action: AU-IBAR)
  4. Further research on the biology of infection, diagnosis and epidemiology of RVF to guide further development of RVF DST. (Action: ILRI, CDC, RVC, USDA)
  5. Further research on the biology of infection, diagnosis and epidemiology of other trade related TADs to guide development of DST (Action: ILRI, CDC, RVC, USDA)

Communication

  1. The meeting recommended that trading partners formalize and maintain continuous communication at all levels and this process be further strengthened by the establishment of a secretariat to coordinate meetings and moderate an electronic forum in collaboration with an appropriate counterpart (Action: GCC member states).

Animal welfare

  1. The meeting recommended an assessment of the animal welfare considerations in accordance with OIE standards in order to identify priorities for future interventions and modalities for their implementation (Action: Member states and AU-IBAR)

Certification

  1. The exporting countries to implement risk based animal health certification that incorporates a people-centred approach along the livestock value chain.

Equivalence

  1. Importing and exporting countries acknowledge and apply the trade facilitating measures already provided for in the OIE Terrestrial Code such as the recognition of different sanitary measures required for trade in livestock and livestock products from countries having the same and different disease status.

EST Workshop - Group photo