Strategies for handling animals in emergency situations promoted
San Jose, Costa Rica, December 5, 2014 (IICA-World Animal Protection). It is essential to promote prevention, integrated risk management and joint work carried out by both public and private entities in order to address the effects of climate change and its impact on animals and livestock production, according to animal health specialists meeting in Costa Rica in a hemispheric forum.
The meeting was organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Costa Rican National Animal Health Service (SENASA) and the international NGO World Animal Protection.
At this forum, international experts shared their experiences in handling animals and further explored conceptual aspects of risk management associated with disasters and severe natural phenomena, in order to provide elements for improving the livestock sector's response to climate events by strengthening national institutions and promoting better policies.
According to SENASA’s Director, Bernardo Jaen, good management has implications for animal welfare and food safety. "In the first case, because an animal that is healthy and in good condition produces more and preserves food security and, insofar as we can respond and expeditiously recover a group of animals, producers rebound and stabilize their situation" he commented.
Roberto Navarro, Director of Epidemiology Analysis and Animal Health Safety of Mexico’s National Service for Health, Food Safety and Food Quality (SENASICA), explained that 60% of human pathogens and 75% of emerging diseases come from animals, which demonstrates the importance of mechanisms to control risks related to adverse weather conditions.
Muhammad Ibrahim, who heads IICA’s Insignia Project Resilience and Integrated Risk Management in Agriculture, agreed, stating that the phenomena of climate change, such as prolonged droughts and heavy floods are not only related to economic losses but also to the spread of diseases, pests and parasites.
Gerardo Huertas, Director of World Animal Protection’s Disaster Management for Latin America and the Caribbean, spoke of the importance of including livelihoods as part of the indicators for the new international framework for disaster risk reduction. Furthermore, he presented the VERU online course developed by this entity for universities and veterinary schools. This platform aims to strengthen skills regarding risk management and adaptation to climate change.
"Our goal is to build new capacities within the veterinary profession. The course covers topics such as risk management, adaptation to climate change and animal management in emergencies; it also seeks to analyze risks comprehensively in order to generate appropriate action," he remarked.
In his opinion, Central American countries have made efforts to strengthen their capacities in emergency care and reducing the impact on animals, but weaknesses still exist regarding management and care.
"If risk management is not properly administered in Central America, the possibility of economic and social repercussions resulting from the impact of climate events will increase. The focus needs to shift from a reactive to a proactive outlook, with involvement of the private sector, and priority being given to social participation with concrete actions," declared Julio Garcia, the Regional Officer for the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).
The forum, held at the IICA Headquarters in San Jose, was aimed at representatives of veterinary services, emergency commissions and producer organizations from Latin America and the Caribbean.
It was webcast to all the IICA offices in the hemisphere. It was also attended by Suriname’s Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, Gerrit Breinburg.
More information:
sacha.trelles@iica.int
cquesada@worldanimalprotection.org