FAO in Myanmar

FAO supports stakeholder participation to strengthen animal health projects in Myanmar

06/04/2018

The Government of Myanmar and FAO are cooperating to implement the Australian funded project “Evidence-Based Risk Management along the Livestock Production and Market Chain.” FAO, through its Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), organized a stakeholder consultation on 31st March 2018 in Yangon’s poultry production zone (PPZ). It was one of the first activities aimed at supporting active participation of the Government and private sector in implementing the project.

About 24 people including poultry farmers, the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department (LBVD) staff, veterinarians and members of the poultry production zone committee attended the meeting. The activity received technical and funding support from the Australian Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The project mainly aims to reduce the spread of zoonotic influenza and other emerging infectious diseases in Myanmar, through active participation of various stakeholders including poultry farmers. As such, during the consultation the participants discussed the introduction of poultry farm accreditation system, which has not been yet applied across Myanmar.

“This is a novel idea and approach to encourage and ensure a high level of farm biosecurity standard.  We hope that this will ensure private sector engagement and address a number of other issues, aside from the spread of avian influenza, such as misuse of antimicrobials,” said David Hadrill, ECTAD Myanmar Team Leader.

With this project FAO hopes to empower poultry farmers and improve the industry. Dr Nyunt Shwe, Township chairman of the Myanmar Livestock Federation, said that he is pleased with the project approach. “I would like to actively participate in the core advisory committee of the project and move this idea forward as well as support the project in strengthening the participation of women,” he added.

“The project team will pursue to implement in a near future other agreed activities obtained during the meeting. Some of the future activities will include egg survey of Yangon’s PPZ poultry production zone to investigate H9N2 sero-prevalence, as the disease is believed to be endemic in the country”, explained  Dr Myat Kyaw, National Project Manager.