A Policy conference on animal health of the Sino-Canadian Livestock Health Extension Services Project (LHESP) was held from February 20 to 21, 2008 in Beijing. This meeting was organized by the Beijing Project Office (BPO) of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funded LHESP Project in cooperation with the Foreign Economic Cooperation Center (FECC), Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) of the People¡¯s Republic of China.

Madame Yuan Hanping, Deputy Director General of FECC and Madame Nathalie Leblanc, CIDA senior project manager and Dr. Javier Burchard, Canadian field manager attended the meeting and delivered opening speeches.

Participants from the project provinces of Jilin, Xinjiang, Shaanxi, Gansu, Chongqing, Sichuan and Inner Mongolia, as well as managers, researchers and representatives from Veterinary Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, China Animal Health and Epidemiology Centre, China Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, FAO Representatives and experts from Australia, Chile, Canada, United States attended the conference.

Dr. Lin Diansheng, Director of Veterinary Policy Division, Veterinary Bureau of MOA presented China's animal health policies and priorities. Dr. Gordon Dittberner, Canada animal health policy expert presented ¡°Setting national animal health policy priorities¡± and "The role of the veterinary profession in contributing to national animal health policies¡±.

Dr. Vincent Martin, animal, from FAO Office in China presented "Risk Assessment in policy development". Dr. Les Kumor, veterinary counselor from Canadian Embassy in China, Peter Hewitt agricultural Counselor from Australia Embassy, Dr. Therasa Boyle, attach¨¦ from Department of Agriculture of the United States, Dr. Enrique Moya, Counselor of Chile Embassy, introduced the animal health program in Canada, animal health monitoring system, epidemics and emergency response in Australia, the regionalization and compartmentalization process in the United States, and sanitary situation and epidemiological monitoring of animal diseases in Chile, respectively.

Dr. Felix Li, senior medical office of the Canadian Public Health Agency explored the ways and mechanisms of cooperation interfacing human and animal health protection, and put forward suggestions for discussion.

Professor Chen Xiangqian from China Animal Health and Epidemiology Centre and director of the Oriental Institute of Animal Health Law, and Dr. Zheng Zengren, director of veterinary health assessments committee, gave reports on research progress and achievements. Professor Chen and his team made comparative study on Chinese system with the Canadian animal health regulations for their legislative procedures, main areas covered and adjustment of the two countries, their similarities and differences in animal health regulations, which provide a knowledge base for mutual understanding between China and Canada, and other Western countries.

In his report, Dr. Zheng Zengren gave an introduction on how China conducted the Disease Free Zone Program, its objectives, history, experience and evaluation procedures which stimulated widespread interest among the participants.

This conference gave a chance for Chinese participants not to only get better understanding of the OIE standards through mutual exchanges and discussions with foreign colleagues, but deeper awareness on the importance in decision-making on veterinary services administration and in formulating disease control strategy.
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Animal Health Policy Conference Technical Download