ITEM 3 WORK PROGRAMME FOR THE PHASE III OF THE EUFMD/EC AGREEMENT

Specific presentations were given on actions that had been completed in this period: - Phase III of the Iran Surveillance project (Appendix 4); the initial Phases ad been pioneered

by Francis Geiger and the important role of France to promote this programme in Phase I and

the support to establish the national surveillance network in Phase III would be covered by Dr Bakkali (Appendix 6). The work with Iran has culminated in a significant change in

mindset, to a risk based national strategic control plan that will be launched in November

2013, based on the lessons learnt from the first 3 Phases under one consolidated national

programme.

- The Training Courses undertaken for Australian Department of Agriculture (DAFF) under a training co-operation agreement (presentation of Dr Ryan, Appendix 5). The program had

been very positively reviewed by participants and DAFF and EuFMD had benefitted from a

full time Training Support Officer and the development of e-learning programme which will

now be available to European MS; - The training and support to surveillance in Iran/West Eurasia, North Africa and West /Central

Africa (RESOLAB) and North Africa provided by ANSES (presentation by Dr Bakkali, Appendix

6). All training materials were published on RELABSA website (the Lab Network for REMESA

countries) with all documents and SOPs, and complemented a bilateral programme of

France. Almost all of the participating laboratories and countries to the training programme

had subsequently received diagnostic kits either from EuFMD or by others (e.g. the US

funded IDENTIFY project operated by FAO), and ANSES had promoted and technically guided

participants to establish tests in their own setting –in several cases, particularly West Africa

and western Pakistan, FMD surveillance results for the first time that have regional importance. The lesson learnt is that a little support can go a long way if efficiently used with

willing, motivated but under-resourced partners. As FMD is not a trade issue for many of

these countries, sharing has been relatively open and shown high promise for generating a

flow of valuable information from regions currently sending no samples to reference

laboratories.

- Dr Bakkali’s recommendations were to continue support to the laboratories, to sample

shipment, and to technical “assistance at a distance”. A francophone Reference Lab network or reference centre could assist this to continue and was urged by Dr Bakkali.

Juan Lubroth congratulated the Commission on this work, and in relation to sample shipment,

indicated that EMPRES in FAO can assist sending samples. Joseph Domenech (OIE) agreed the work

with African laboratory networks is very important and gets a good return on investment; the choice

of laboratories as regional leaders is very important and has to be done with member countries

consensus.