Animal Production and Health Division · Division de la production et de la santé animales · Dirección de Producción y Sanidad Animal
Libya remains free of New World Screwworm
In October 1991, World Animal Review published a special edition devoted entirely to the New World Screwworm (NWS) in Libya. It is with deserved pride that FAO can now report its eradication, which was officially declared on 22 June 1992, only 16 months after the inception of the eradication programme. After the official declaration, the Libyan Ministry of Agriculture assumed full responsibility for surveillance, quarantine and other related activities. Surveillance continued up to the end of October 1992 in Libya and surrounding countries, with no evidence of screwworm. The neighbouring countries were therefore advised that they could return to normal practice, while in Libya a reduced level of surveillance was to continue until the end of 1992. At the time of writing this communication, the all-clear continues in North Africa.
Update on final phase of the programme. Even though the main international activities in Libya have been halted, marking the end of the principal chapter of- the eradication programme, several- activities still remain as part of the final preventive phase, the aim of which is to reduce the possibilities of the NWS recurring in North Africa. The preventive phase, for which US$25 million has been budgeted, involves the following three major components, each with several projects.
· Reduction of future risks of NWS or other exotic livestock disease outbreaks in North Africa. Two regional emergency disease prevention courses have been completed. Veterinarians from a total of 30 countries were involved in these week-long courses, both hosted by Tunisia. Eight national-level emergency disease prevention courses are currently being prepared. An effort to harmonize animal quarantine and exotic disease legislation among the North African countries is also currently under way. Missions will visit the countries involved; the first mission to Algeria has been completed.· Improvement of NWS eradication technology. During the NWS eradication programme in Libya, a number of technical questions arose for which answers were not available. This was primarily because of the emergency nature of SECNA (Screwworm Emergency Centre for North Africa). A series of research and development projects has been developed to answer some of these questions. The projects focus on three areas: population suppression, population measurement and information management. All projects are to be completed by the end of 1993.
· Reduction of risk in endemic countries. FAO is currently assembling information on the worldwide distribution, losses and control costs of NWS. Questionnaires are being sent to the veterinary services in all known and suspected NWS-infested countries. They are also being sent to those countries with climatic conditions that would allow the NWS to survive.
Missions to most Caribbean and Latin American countries are being undertaken to assemble data on NWS distribution within the countries and regions, the damage done and methods and costs of control. Collections of native NWS are also being made in order to determine whether it would be feasible to establish an NWS "fingerprint" for each country. This would permit the identification of the origin of new NWS infestations and simplify corrective measures and procedures for the eradication of the pest.
A detailed report on all of these activities will be presented at the next donors' meeting in Rome early in 1993. When all elements of the preventive phase are completed in 1993, the programme is expected to show a surplus of approximately US$1 million.
World Food Prize. The 1992 World Food Prize was awarded to Drs E.F. Knipling and R.C. Bushland on 12 October 1992 in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
The prize was awarded to these scientists, both retired from the United States Department of Agriculture, for their scientific creativity in conceiving the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) as a method of insect control or eradication and for leadership in taking this idea from conception to practical application.
The screwworm was eradicated from the United States and Mexico and is currently under attack in Central America using this technique. The successful FAO lead programme to eradicate the screwworm from North Africa also used SIT. In 1991 FAO Director-General Edouard Saouma presented Knipling and Bushland with the FAO Agricultural Award for their pioneering efforts.
Information material. The FAO information staff are preparing a 15 to 20-minute video featuring the NWS story using television tapes assembled by SECNA.
The New World Screwworm Eradication Programme, North Africa, 1988-1992, published by FAO in July 1992, continues to be a best-seller. The book, which costs US$35, may be ordered from any of the FAO Publications Sales Agents or directly from the Distribution and Sales Section, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.
Expert Consultation on the Management of Global Animal Genetic Resources
An Expert Consultation on the Management of Global Animal Genetic Resources was held in Rome from 7 to 10 April 1992.
Following Council's endorsement of the recommendation made by FAO's Committee on Agriculture (COAG), the objective of the consultation was "to assist in-making a more informed judgement about the desirability of establishing a separate forum for animal genetic resources. The expert consultation also assessed the proposed programme in animal genetic resources".
The consultation was attended by 26 experts, many of whom were from institutions involved in this area of biological diversity. There was a total of nine sessions covering all legal and institutional aspects, as well as information collection and criteria for endangerment, consideration of the species situations, biotechnology and proposals for conservation by management. These subjects are all part of the proposed programme being considered by COAG. The sessions allowed for considerable discussion time and the consultation was striking for the keen interest and full participation of all involved.
Earlier discussions on the desirability of joining plant and animal genetic resources were reviewed and it was concluded that the institutional structures should be kept because of differences in the issues, technical expertise and methodologies for conserving, managing and using germplasm. The consultation noted and approved the continued activities of FAO in this field, its cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and collaboration with other international institutions.
The establishment of a management entity to prepare an action plan in close consultation with other organizations concerned with the subject was recommended. The small management unit should develop a progressive programme including all necessary technical and operational activities, funding mechanisms and support structures. This management entity should be responsible to a consultative council comprising representatives of associations and institutions with interests in animal genetic resources.
National, regional and global programmes should be designed with special emphasis on the need to identify, document, conserve and, where appropriate, improve the management of indigenous animal breeds, strains and populations.
The consultation recommended that FAO be designated as the institution to provide the management entity. It was also recommended that, through the consultative council, the programme consider the development of an appropriate legal framework.
Monitoring of animal genetic resources was considered to be of the utmost importance at the national and international levels and further efforts to determine effective population numbers were recommended. The consultation recommended that the existing data banks be expanded and united into a comprehensive global system and that the World Watch List of endangered breeds be published regularly.
Breed characterization was recommended, however, the consultation recognized that there may be cases where preservation action is imperative in advance of adequate documentation in order to save a breed from extinction.
The development of a system for classifying the degree of endangerment was recommended and priorities were established for the different possible activities within the proposed programme, including preservation, characterization and the identification of breeds for conservation through management.
The consultation recommended the use of certain technical breeding methods to improve indigenous breeds. It also made recommendations on the collection and storage of DNA for possible future use and research and on the need for gene mapping and genetic distance studies to continue.
FAO Expert Consultation on Legume Trees and Other Fodder Trees as Protein Sources for Livestock
Held at the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 14 to 18 October 1991, the Expert Consultation was the result of close collaboration between this institute and FAO. Fifteen participants from nine countries, representing all continents, attended.
This interdisciplinary consultation allowed an up-to-date review to be made of the promising species of fodder trees and shrubs, as well as of the available data on these species with a particular emphasis on the animal feeding systems utilizing them. Consequently, practical recommendations have been made for the development of the cultivation and utilization of fodder trees and shrubs, particularly in harsh environmental conditions, as a means of improving animal feeding in developing countries and of matching livestock production systems to available and potential feed resources.
The report of this consultation, including conclusions and recommendations, is available and the proceedings are in press.
Transformation du lait de chamelle en fromage
Depuis très longtemps, on a constaté que la transformation du fait de chamelle en fromage est très difficile. Cette difficulté freine la valorisation du fait de chamelle des nomades ou semi-nomades qui n'ont pas de moyens de le conserver lorsqu'ils vent éloignés des centres de consommation. Le Groupe du développement du secteur laitier de la FAO a voulu connaître les raisons scientifiques de la difficulté de coagulation des laits de chamelle, nécessaire pour la fabrication des fromages, et étudier des méthodes pour améliorer le caillage du fait. Une étude a été entreprise par le docteur Ramet, de l'ENSAIA de Nancy, en Arabie saoudite, en Tunisie et au Laboratoire expérimental de technologie laitière de Nancy. Cette étude, qui a duré plus de deux ans, a permis de mieux connaître la structure particulière du fait de chamelle et de proposer une technologie appropriée, qui permet dorénavant de fabriquer de nombreuses variétés de fromages à partir du fait de chamelle. L'ensemble de ces travaux sera publié très prochainement dans la série des Etudes FAO: Production et santé animales.
Workshop on Modelling of Vector-Borne and Other Parasitic Diseases
A Workshop on Modelling of Vector-Borne and Other Parasitic Diseases was held at the International Laboratory for Research in Animal Diseases (ILRAD) in Nairobi, Kenya, from 23 to 27 November 1992. It was organized jointly by ILRAD and FAO.
The epidemiology and economic impact of vector-borne and other parasitic diseases of livestock are determined by a combination of climatic, biological, geographic and other factors. The advent of easy access to computers and the power of new information technology have enabled the relationships between these factors to be studied and modelled in depth, which has led to a better understanding of the ecology, population dynamics, economics and epidemiology of different parasites and vectors.
The workshop programme included presentations and discussions on the perceived modelling needs of the two organizations in the ecology, population dynamics, drug resistance, economic impact and epidemiology of these diseases. Also discussed were the available modelling systems, the application of modelling to the livestock industries of the developing world and the role of FAO and ILRAD in organizing training in the use of this technology.
Commission on Livestock Development for Latin America and the Caribbean
The Nineteenth FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, which took place in Barbados in 1986, recommended the establishment of the Commission on Livestock Development for the Region.
The first session of the commission took place in Montevideo, Uruguay, in September 1988, followed by the second in Kingston, Jamaica, in June 1990.
The third session of the commission took place in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, from 16 to 17 July 1992. In addition to senior technical officers from the Animal Production and Health Division of FAO and the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, it was attended by delegates from 18 countries and observers from the Inter-American Development Bank, International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, Pan-American Health Organization, Pan-American Milk Federation and the United Nations Development Programme.
The agenda included items such as "Improvement of reproductive efficiency of cattle and sheep in Latin America and the Caribbean", as well as discussions on networks, including "Network on Dairy Cattle Production", "Veterinary Research and Diagnostic Laboratories", "Small Animal Development" and "Biotechnology Network in Latin America".
