ECOWAS Veterinary Chiefs to Meet in Abuja

27 March 2013
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Economic Community of West African States (Abuja)
press release

Abuja - Nigeria — Chief Veterinary Officers from ECOWAS Member States will meet in Abuja from Thursday, 28th March 2013 to agree common positions on key issues affecting animal health in the region and beyond.

The meeting which is being organized by the ECOWAS Commission, in collaboration with the African Union African Union Inter-bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), will, among other issues, review the analysis made on the reports of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Scientific, Ad hoc and Code Commissions to be submitted to the OIE General Session in Paris- France, later in the year.

The veterinary chiefs will validate identified areas of high priority and common interest for the ECOWAS region as well as review and analyse the rationale and justification, including the consequences and impact on the technical, institutional, legal, and commercial dimensions of the proposed draft standards on ECOWAS Member States and the region.

They are also expected to identify regional experts and centres of excellence in the food/feed standards to add to the African and international pool of experts, to be incorporated in OIE science, aquatic, ad hoc committees/commissions and working groups.

They will also harmonize processes of consultation on OIE standards at national and regional levels, and involve the private sector, civil society, producer/professional organizations, as well as other stakeholders.

The Chief Veterinary Officers are expected to consolidate regional common positions on the proposed OIE standards, preparatory to the Continental Chief Veterinary Officers meeting to be held on 14th and 15th April 2013 in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, before the Paris OIE General Session later in the year.

The meeting will provide an opportunity for the ECOWAS Commission to play its mandatory role in strengthening the livestock sub-sector, and food/feed standards regulations in the region. This is in addition to providing a platform for sensitizing delegates on the importance ofSanitary and Phyto- sanitary (SPS) national committees and their role in MS for food/feed safety.

Already the Commission has harmonized Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary (SPS) regulations, which were endorsed by the ECOWAS Parliament and adopted by the Council of Ministers. It has also established National Standards and Phyto- sanitary Committees (NSPSC) in each Member State as institutional bodies for standards.

Also, the Commission has established the Regional Chief Veterinary Officers Committee (RVC) as its advisory body on veterinary and food/feed standards issues, conducted sensitization and training-of-trainers workshops for Member States.

Read the original article on Ecowas.

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