ROUTINE surveillance by Guyana’s fledgling animal health laboratory has confirmed that Guyana is free from Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), according to Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, who was speaking at a workshop yesterday.

Earlier this year, Guyana was able to collect more than 825 samples from animals selected randomly from all across the country, and send same to PANAFTOSA  (Pan American Foot and Mouth Disease Centre) for testing. The results confirmed Guyana’s negative status with regard to Foot and Mouth Disease.
The two-day workshop, titled Animal Disease Emergency Programme, Foot and Mouth Disease Manual Update, is being conducted by the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, PAHO/WHO, and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
Among his remarks to participants of the workshop, Minister Ramsammy said the workshop is “an important exercise, as the development of the livestock industry remains a priority area in the overall development plan of Guyana.”
According to Dr. Ramsammy, Guyana is destined to be the bread basket of the Caribbean, and producing meat is a significant part of feeding the nation and feeding the peoples of the Caribbean and farther afield.
He added that while the local livestock industry is “not where it should be,” it is nevertheless “poised to develop a strong industry; one that can provide the Guyanese people with beef and milk, and one that can contribute to the demand for high-quality beef and milk within Caricom.”
There exists an unmet need of some two billion dollars for meat and milk within the Region, according to Dr Ramsammy.
He praised the partnerships that Guyana enjoys with PANAFTOSA, an organisation he deems as having legitimacy, global accreditation and recognition; and PAHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as they have provided Guyana with opportunities to develop the sector.
Through PANAFTOSA, Guyana has been able to build its veterinary and animal health laboratories, so that its meat and milk can meet standards that are recognised internationally.
Dr Ramsammy also called for upgrade of abattoirs, saying: “It is time for the facilities euphemistically called abattoirs to be developed from the slaughter houses that they are to (being) real abattoirs.”
The minister said the time has come for the development of a livestock strategy, and he announced that, by the end of October, he would present to Cabinet the Draft Food Safety Bill and a proposal for establishment of a Food Safety Commission.
Minister Ramsammy also pointed out that, despite being free from FMD, the livestock industry still faces challenges from other diseases and impediments.
Already, stakeholders are facing a conflict between their social and economic needs as they struggle to confront disappearing communal lands, partly due to establishment of housing schemes around the country.
The workshop, which concludes today, will see government, stakeholders and experts from PANAFTOSA and Brazil discuss the status of FMD in South America; FMD control activities in Brazil; and disaster preparedness and  response in the event of an FMD outbreak.