Food Safety has been a challenging issue for China in the last six months, and many changes have occurred in regulations. A key to all of the changes and recommendations in regulations is an aim to applying an integrated food safety system, including an on-farm food safety programs to cover the entire farm to table food production continuum.

Avian Influenza, Foot and Mouth Disease, Newcastle Disease, Classic Swine Fever, Streptococcus suis and others are diseases where the OIE, the livestock industry and public health place high significance on accurate monitoring and reporting. Appropriate sample collection, sample storage and transportation are essential to accurate monitoring and diagnosis of these diseases. A 4-day training on food safety and biosecurity regulations and programs combined with sample collection for epidemic disease monitoring was carried out by LHESP and Chongqing Animal Disease Control Center (CADCC) from May 12 to 14. This training stressed:an awareness of on farm food safety, management of biosecurity and disease containment, and improvement of technical skills required for sample collection. These topics relate to improving the health of both humans and animals.

The workshop was honored by the presence of outstanding experts: Dr. Wang Shuhuai from China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control, Dr. Jiang Yu from Military Veterinary Research Institute; Dr. Liu Yutian, National BSE Reference Lab, Dr. Xiong Zhongliang, Deputy Director, CADCC; Dr. Huang Jie, Division Chief, Chongqing Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision. Jane Pritchard, Lynda Nicholls and Zeng Zheng from the Canadian team of the LHESP also gave presentations.

About 90 people took part in the training. They represented county-level animal disease control centers, animal disease prevention and quarantine stations, veterinary stations as well as staff technicians from CADCC. Mr He, Deputy Director of CADCC hosted the opening ceremony.

The opening ceremonies were started with Mr. He leading 3 minutes of silence in tribute to the victims of the 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake. Following this he discussed and emphasized the importance of building an awareness of food safety, and biosecurity and of improvement of sample collection skills. He stressed that this was important for the improvement of public health and animal husbandry production in Chongqing by relating it to the local animal husbandry and veterinary working situation within Chongqing.

On the next 2 days, Dr Pritchard opened the training with a topic on OIE and food safety, followed by a presentation on how On Farm Dairy Food Safety programs operate at both the national and provincial level in Canada. Dr. Xiong explained the detailed procedures of Disease Free Zone Assessment based on existing experience. Dr. Jiang presented experience of Dog Rabies Virus sample collection and Dr. Liu continued with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy sample collection and some basic knowledge in the area of laboratory biosecurity. Lynda Nicholls gave an overview of Canadian Swine on-farm food safety and biosecurity national program. Dr. Wang introduced the hazards and control of veterinary drug residues in food and called for increased attention to use of antibiotics by county-level veterinarians Dr. Huang then updated the audience on the metrological certification for veterinary laboratories in China. Finally, Dr. Zeng described the standards of sample collection, packaging, storage and transportation so important for accurate etiological diagnosis.

The classroom training was followed by a visit to the newly established lab of CADCC on May 14. During the visit, Dr. Jiang and Dr. Liu demonstrated safe, and simple methods to collect samples from dog brains for rabies testing and from bovine brains for BSE testing. Students were then given the opportunity to try these methods with coaching from the instructors so as to further consolidate their sample collection skills.

This training was well received by those attending, and well organized in a co-operative fashion between the CADCC and the LHESP.
 

Opening ceremony	Mr. He making opening speech

Dr. Jiang's demonstration	Dr. Liu's demonstration