Hosting first COSALFA meeting…
THE Government of Guyana, hosting the 37th ordinary meeting of the South American Commission for the Control of Foot and Mouth Disease (COSALFA), has assured that it is committed to the task of supporting other member countries in eradicating the FMD.
The assurance was given at the start of the two-day forum, in the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara, which brought together the directors of the official animal health services and a representative of the affiliations of livestock producers from each of the 11 participating countries.
Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela and Uruguay are represented by the participants, who also represent the official veterinary services, organisations of the livestock producers of South American countries and the industries of animal transformation and veterinary pharmaceuticals, diagnostic laboratories, centres of higher education, research institutes and agencies of international technical and financial cooperation.
COSALFA is tasked to act as a regional coordinating mechanism to promote lines of action and coordinate and evaluate the activities carried out for FMD control, development of epidemiological models and eradication on the continent.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, in the feature address, welcomed the delegates and noted that Guyana has been actively pursuing ties with the various countries of the continent and reported growing relations with the immediate neighbours, Venezuela, Brazil and Suriname.
“In this time of globalisation and challenges, such as the financial and food crises and the ever looming threat of climate change, it is imperative that we seek to improve or create new relations with our South American countries, so that, together, we can have a voice in the international arena which has been dominated by the rich and powerful countries,” he advocated.
Mr. Hinds said he is pleased that, since the inception of COSALFA, which held its first meeting in 1973, Guyana is hosting this historic meeting for the first time.
He said this is significant in many ways, because Guyana is internationally recognised as one of the two countries in South America that are FMD free without vaccination, a status of which it is proud and which it is committed to maintain.

GOOD OPPORTUNITY

Hinds said it is also important as, in the area of beef production, compared to other countries in the region, Guyana is still at an early stage and this is a good opportunity for its exposure to interested investors and take its livestock sector to another level.
He said this country has the necessary conditions, such as land, water and FMD free status and sees agriculture, which includes livestock, as remaining important.
The Prime Minister observed that COSALFA is very inclusive with a wide cross-section of the livestock sector encompassing private and public institutions.
“This is very impressive. It is an indication of the members’ commitment to eradicate this dreaded food and mouth disease from the continent,” he remarked to the gathering, amongst whom were Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Robert Persaud and diplomats
Hinds continued; “We must redouble our efforts to contain and eradicate FMD, which is a very serious barrier to the production and trade of meat and meat products of cloven foot origin.”
Wishing the deliberations success, he said: “I hope that very practical and successful solutions will be found and that a number of steps would be taken in furtherance of the quest for a FMD free South American continent.”
“And, during this meeting, I am sure ties will be renewed and made that will bring our countries closer together, not only in FMD eradication, but in other areas of investment, technical cooperation, culture and tourism.”
Minister Persaud, in his speech, agreed it is a significant event for Guyana and that the importance of COSALFA in today’s context cannot be understated, given how interconnected and interdependent the members have become in this continent and, certainly, across the globe.
“We all share common threats, as well as opportunities and, in fact, our livestock sectors cannot be readily separated from other sectors of the economy and, indeed, what is taking place across the globe,” he said.
Persaud reflected on the 2008 food crisis, the global economic slowdown and the persistent challenges of climate change.
He said: “We will say that livestock producers and farmers face difficulties as others do experience in other sectors.”
However Persaud noted that recent events have not affected the general trend for livestock for which the outlook is bright and demonstrates that this is a sector in which it is worth investing and working.

CONSUMPTION GROWTH

He said the consumption growth of livestock products per capita has markedly outpaced other major food groups over the past decades and mentioned that, in developing countries, that of milk has doubled since the 1960s, meat has tripled and eggs increased by a factor of five.
Persaud said that has translated into considerable growth in global intake of energy derived from livestock.
He posited that, at the global level, livestock contributes close to 15 per cent of total food energy and 25 per cent of dietary protein and disclosed that, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the region will take on an increasingly larger share of the world’s supply of meat and Brazil alone is expected to assume one-third of total world meat exports by 2018.
“The increasing purchasing power of developing countries, especially countries with large populations in Asia and right here in Central and South America, will, as you know, lead to a higher demand for animal protein.
“The globalisation of the supply of feed, genetic stock and other technological invasions would help to smooth some of the challenges facing our livestock production,” Persaud asserted.
He said technological change, in the form of developments and innovations in all aspects of livestock production, is, perhaps, the single most important factor in expanding the supply of cheap livestock products.
Persaud said, central to the realisation of this outlook, however, is the control of animal diseases.
“In fact, all of us here today would recognise that the inability to fully eradicate FMD in our continent, is, in fact, a major barrier to trade in livestock and even sharing of much needed resources amongst our countries.
“And this is where, you ladies and gentlemen, have to deploy your expertise and insights and, together, ensure that our continent and the region, as a whole, has a viable and robust plan in place to deal with this disease,” he encouraged.

FAVOURABLE POSITION

He reminded that Guyana is FMD free without vaccination, which is, in fact, an important requirement for the export of meat products with cloven foot origin, which, certainly, puts this country in a favourable position on the world market place.
“Guyana has a very vibrant livestock sector but a lot more needs to be done for it to become one of our big success stories,” Persaud conceded.
In that context, he said it has been investing in modernising its animal health system, including increasing its surveillance, especially, at the borders and deepening linkages with regional and international agencies and its legislative framework is currently being modernised.
Persaud said, while Guyana possesses great comparative advantages with regards to livestock rearing, for the industry to be competitive and successful, it has to be re-aligned to produce for the export market.
He said increasing markets for livestock products in the Caribbean, where the country enjoys duty free entry, is the most appealing option at this time.
“Our livestock sector, in fact, is at an important crossroad and this meeting, being held here at this point in time in Guyana, could not be much more convenient,” Persaud acknowledged.
He said, importantly, for the livestock and, perhaps, other sectors of the economy to develop, deeper linkages with the brothers and sisters in South America are required.
“From an agriculture standpoint, we are very serious about our continental destiny and we do hope that this meeting, here, would, certainly, reinforce that thrust,” Persaud said.
He emphasised that livestock rearing plays a very significant part in the economy of all countries represented at the meeting and that some are more advanced than others.
“But the supply of affordable animal protein is very critical in an area where the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are hard pressed to be reached,” Persaud admitted.
He drew attention, too, to the fact that rural communities depend on livestock for their income and that it is now recognised that the sector can play a tremendous role, in terms of revitalising rural communities, generating employment and income and making a significant contribution towards food security.
Persaud said, in some estimates, livestock supports the livelihood and food security of almost a billion people across the globe.
“The mandate before us, then, is to work hard to ensure that diseases such as foot and mouth do not jeopardise the tremendous efforts that we have made and our farmers have made as well as the future of those communities,” he urged.
Persaud, therefore, challenged COSALFA to bring practical solutions to the table, alongside realistic projects and programmes that would lead to the eventual eradication of FMD in South America and, certainly, see a growth of free trade amongst the countries.
Ad interim Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) Representative in Guyana, Mr. Adrianus Vlugman also recognised that FMD is a serious disease that can cause great economic and social loss.
“As our office is committed to continue to provide technical support to the FMD programme, we wish you all a very successful conference,” he offered.
Project Coordinator and Director of Veterinary Public Health Project Pan American Foot and Mouth Disease Centre, Mr. Ottorino Cosivi said: “Today, we are here to sympathise with the five million farmers and cattle breeders in South America who have entrusted us with the eradication of FMD.”
He said, for the majority of them, cattle represents the main source of income.