Global Leaders Take Action to Keep African Swine Fever at Bay
By JENNIFER SHIKE November 9, 2020
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) united in a joint initiative in late October to keep African swine fever (ASF) at bay.
“This signals the seriousness of the mission, as well as sincere desire, to have all nations and partners join forces to combat ASF,” the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) said in its November newsletter.
The Global Control of ASF Initiative, launched under the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs) umbrella, supports actors at every level to coordinate and strengthen control measures to minimize the impact of this complex and challenging disease, the organizations wrote in a statement.
ASF continues to spread rapidly and an approved vaccine still does not exist. ASF poses no food safety risk to humans. However, the disease affects the food security and livelihoods of millions of people. In Asia alone, 7 million pigs have died due to ASF which impacts more than 50 countries in Africa, Asia and Europe.
No country is safe from ASF. The number of countries across the world reporting outbreaks to the OIE continues to grow. OIE Director-General Monique Eloit said this corresponds to the biggest animal disease outbreak of our generation.
In countries where ASF has not been diagnosed, including the U.S., efforts are focused on prevention. Continued investments need to be made globally in veterinary services and the effective implementation of international standards, particularly those related to biosecurity and surveillance, SHIC reports.
“Our goal is to prevent the spread – and ultimately eradicate – this disease, leveraging the latest science, best practices and international standards,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said in his video message to the participants. “If not controlled, this disease will jeopardize progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”
The Global Control of ASF Initiative establishes a change, translated into a logic framework that describes the outputs and indicators according to the following three objectives:
Objective 1. Improve the capability of countries to control (prevent, respond, eradicate) ASF using OIE standards and best practices that are based on the latest science.
Objective 2. Establish an effective coordination and cooperation framework for the global control of ASF.
Objective 3. Facilitate business continuity.
From: https://www.porkbusiness.com/news/hog-production/global-leaders-take-action-keep-african-swine-fever-ba