South Asia's Chief Veterinary Officers and regional and global animal health experts have vowed to strengthen regional coordination for sustainable transboundary animal diseases (TADs) prevention, control and eradication. During the First South Asia TADs Coordination Meeting, organized by the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs) in Bhutan, plans were hatched for how best to respond to animal health risks and threats affecting livestock production in the region.

TADs are a major constraint for the sustainability of animal production in Asia and the Pacific, where the livestock sector accounts for 30 percent of the regional agricultural GDP, of which smallholder farmers account for more than 60 percent. Priority TADs, such as peste des petits ruminant (PPR), foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and lumpy skin disease (LSD), are increasingly and severely impacting the livestock sector's productivity in the region, putting smallholder farmers' livelihoods at risk.

“Progress has been made in the past few years with countries starting to allocate resources to prevention and response to TADs but more considerable resources are needed,” said Ken Shimizu, FAO Representative in Nepal and Bhutan. “FAO, together with partners, is committed to fully supporting Member Nations, specifically in endemic countries, to strengthen the prevention and control of TADs, as well as promote regional harmonization, political commitment and advocacy.”

Prioritize more holistic approaches to working together

The meeting revealed a broad consensus to develop holistic approaches to identify synergies for harmonized disease control programmes and exchange information on virus circulation, vaccination and other control initiatives to mitigate the risks and ensure more inclusive, resilient and sustainable livestock systems in the region. These approaches should also be combined with effective legislation, increased funding and stronger regional and governmental engagement and support for sustainable TADs control.

Another core point of convergence among participants was the need to improve the availability of safe, effective, accessible and affordable vaccines for the implementation of coordinated and effective vaccination programmes in South Asia. Effective vaccination is a critical component for the prevention and control of these priority TADs in the region and must also be accompanied by other measures such as movement controls and improved biosecurity. The meeting highlighted several areas where improved regional coordination and cooperation would be beneficial, including cross-border movement control and harmonized vaccination programmes.

About the meeting

The First South Asia TADs Coordination Meeting encouraged countries to make progress on the control of FMD and LSD and eradication of PPR by providing a safe environment for government officials and other public and private sectors stakeholders to share information and discuss common challenges and opportunities.

The meeting was co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) GF-TADs Regional Secretariat for Asia and the Pacific, the PPR Global Secretariat and the GF-TADs FMD Working Group and hosted by the National Veterinary Authorities of Bhutan.