Green urges stakeholders to recognise importance of detecting and managing animal diseases

State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green, is urging major players in the veterinary profession and stakeholders in livestock such as importers, producers and distributors, to recognise the importance of detecting and managing animal diseases.
Mr. Green informed that as part of Jamaica’s own commitment to the process, a National Emergency Disease Committee is in place to oversee programmes necessary to ensure the island’s preparedness to handle exotic animal diseases and threats.
“This is in accordance with Jamaica’s animal diseases and importation law and is consistent with the guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health,” he said.
Mr. Green was speaking at the opening ceremony of the 25th seminar on the harmonization of registration and control of veterinary medicines, Americas Committee on Veterinary Medicines (CAMEVET), at the Royalton White Sands Hotel in Trelawny, on September 23.
The one-week conference, which ends on September 27, is being held in the English-speaking Caribbean for the first time and aims to facilitate the harmonization of standards, registries and controls of veterinary drugs among its member countries.
Mr. Green added that Jamaica has also invested in the provision of laboratory services and a traceability system to enhance disease surveillance and monitoring and to enhance the highest levels of compliance with good agricultural practices.
He also urged understanding and agreement among regions affected by antimicrobial resistance to take immediate action to preserve the efficacy of antimicrobials “that are essential in human medicine by restricting their use in animal production”.
“The oversight and guidance of CAMEVET will be critical in harmonizing protocols for registration and control of use of veterinary medicines in the countries of the Americas as we all aim towards minimizing the negative impact of antimicrobial resistance,” Mr. Green said.
He continued that the Government is in full support of the Committee’s objectives to harmonize regulatory requirements, to eliminate minor differences between members, to balance the demands and to facilitate the trade of veterinary products.
The conference is being attended by more than 200 participants from 25 countries in the Americas.
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