Pacific Community joins forces with veterinary association

By Patrick Pecloitre

The Pacific Community’s (SPC) newly-elected dir ector general Lourdes Pangelinan ratified a memorandum of agreement with the Commonwealth Veterinary Ass-ociation (CVA) forma-lising a closer co-operation between the two organi-sations, especially in terms of training and information sharing for animal health in the Pacific.

“In practice, this had already been happening for a couple of years, SPC and the CVA have shared technical expertise, resources and information,” SPC’s Veterinary Epide-miologist Dr Gavin Ramsay said.

What it means in practice is that we, at SPC, provide expertise and our resources and the CVA, on their side, provide theirs, from within or outside the Pacific region.

The agreement mainly aims at reducing duplication of effort between the work programmes of the two organisations “in areas of mutual interest.

“For instance, last year, we did a workshop in Suva, where we had technical expertise from Malaysia provided by the CVA.

“And the participants came from both the Commonweatlh countries (outside and in the Pacific) and within the Pacific Community, including French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Guam, which, as you know, do not belong to the Common wealth”.

“So it shows quite clearly that both realms can benefit from that sort of joint approach”, Dr Ramsay added.

“In general, the animal health status is very good in the Pacific.

Having said that, we must ensure things remain this way and the best thing to do this is to ensure Pacific island countries have the means, the knowledge and the information to prevent disease introduction from other parts of the world.”

Areas concerned include animal health at large, including animal and livestock protection.

The Secretariat of the Pacific

Community covers 27 members (including 22 Pacific island countries and territories) and defines itself as “primarily service oriented, with significant training and limited research components”.

The Commonwealth Veteri-nary Association promotes the exchange and dissemination of technical information and experience on animal health among the member countries of the Commonwealth.

Under the agreement, the two

organisations would freely exchange information and share networks to communicate, share experts on training, consultancy or research projects, organise joint conferences and training workshops.

The agreement with signed by CVA President, Australia-based Bill Pryor.

It was also the first official deed signed by Ms Pangelinan in her capacity of Director General of the SPC, a position she took up early in January.

Animal health and protection ranks high on the SRC's list of priorities