Bangkok--6 Jul--OMG Plusz
More than 100 nations support new strategy on livestock diseaseFAO/OIE Global Strategy to control Foot-and-Mouth Disease benefits farmers and consumers
Farmers and consumers worldwide stand to benefit from a new global strategy to control the spread of a deadly livestock disease that was endorsed by representatives from more than 100 countries and international donors at three-day conference in Bangkok, which finished last Friday (June 29)
The conference was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) with support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
The new global strategy advises countries on their risk management policy for controlling Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), taking early steps to prevent the disease from spreading to other farms, communities and across borders. The new strategy also promotes and strengthens FMD control through the improvement of national veterinary services responsible for animal disease control, according to joint press statement.
More than 1 billion smallholder farmers worldwide depend on livestock for their livelihoods, but outbreaks of FMD inflict an estimated annual global loss of US$5 billion. Farmers in developing countries are often hardest hit by FMD, a highly-contagious viral disease.
Foot-and-mouth disease affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats and other ruminants, as well as a number of wildlife species.