ITEM 7 – THE EUFMD ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LONG TERM FMD CONTROL PROGRAM IN “WEST EURASIA”

Conclusions

1. The EuFMD Strategic Plan for 2009-2013 was unanimously endorsed by the Session. The

Secretariat agreed to make the minor changes proposed by delegates; 2. The partnership with EC, which had enabled implementation of major parts of the

Strategic Plan 2005-9, had been highly effective and was warmly appreciated by the

Member States.

Item 7 – The EuFMD Role in the development of a long term FMD control program in “West Eurasia”

In line with recommendations of the 37th Session on the development of a long term FMD control program to reduce the risk to Europe from West Asia, the Secretariat presented two papers, one on the “Progressive Control Pathway (PCP) And Regional Roadmaps: - Towards A Common Framework For Long Term Action Against Fmd At National And Regional Levels In EurAsia And Africa” (Appendix 16), and “Development Of A Roadmap For The Progressive Control Of Foot-and-Mouth Disease In West Eurasia, Report of a Workshop held in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran, November 2008” (Appendix 17).

The Progressive Control Pathway for FMD (PCP-FMD) is an approach developed from recommendations of the meeting of the EuFMD Research group at Erice, for addressing the seven major virus pools through progressive, risk based approaches co-ordinated under regional roadmaps. The PCP approach provides a methodology, developed by EuFMD with FAO, describing a set of control program activity stages that lead to officially recognised FMD freedom; Regional Roadmaps (RR), describe the anticipated progress along the PCP at national and regional level to 2020, and the application of PCP through Regional Roadmaps is the suggested approach of FAO to promote long-term co-ordinated action against FMD, that will be proposed at the OIE/FAO Conference on FMD in Paraguay, June 2009.

The PCP-RR approach was applied first at a four-day Workshop held in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran, organized by FAO in consultation with OIE, and hosted by the Iran Veterinary Organization, and convened as a joint meeting under the FMD projects implemented by the EuFMD Commission (FAO) in Turkey, Trans-Caucasus, Iran and Syria, and the GTFS/INT/907/ITA project for Central Asian countries. Invitations were sent by FAO, on behalf of the two organizations, to the Chief Veterinary Officers (CVOs) and to the FAO national consultants on FMD (EuFMD or GTFS projects). In total, fifteen countries in West EurAsia were represented, with the Russian Federation represented through the OIE Reference Laboratory (FGI-ARRIAH). The Workshop developed a vision (for West EurAsia free of clinical FMD by 2020) and a roadmap indicating progression of countries along the PCP, and identified the type of regional support required to promote and apply the PCP at regional level; in response to the meeting report, over 50% of countries represented indicated their support by letter from their CVO to the CVO, FAO (Dr Domenech). A practical follow-up to the Meeting has been improved laboratory networking for Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and the WRL, stimulated by EuFMD Secretariat (West EurAsia FMD lab network), which has generated increased sample submission and sharing of risk information on viral threats.

Discussion

Issues raised in discussion included the extent and nature of EuFMD support for regional FMD control initiatives in the neighbourhood and in more distant regions. Dr Gibbens, UK, agreed that the wider vision for supporting FMD control was in line with the EuFMD Strategic Plan, but was concerned that resources of the Commission were limited and the role should be mainly as a catalyst/enabler to promote change, and leverage other organizations to effective action. Dr Angot, France, suggested that the EuFMD should work mainly through the GF-TADS framework, and via the FAO/OIE Regional Animal health centres (RAHC). He agreed that West Eurasia is a priority area for EuFMD involvement.