FAO conducts Surveillance Evaluation Tool workshop in Jordan

AMMAN — The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) on Sunday launched an assessment mission that will use FAO’s Surveillance Evaluation Tool (SET) and its Bio-Threat module to develop a tailored action plan to improve animal disease surveillance.

The mission includes the detection of agro-terrorism and agro-crime affecting animal health, under the project “Building resilience against agro-terrorism and agro-crime threats to animal health”, according to a FAO statement.

The project, carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), is funded by the Global Affairs Canada and implemented by a consortium gathering the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Criminal Police organisation (INTERPOL) and will be implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and the JAF.

The inception workshop, attended by partners and relevant stakeholders, aimed to present to the Jordanian authorities the assessment mission itself as well as the other phases of the project that will help develop a response to risks related to animal health and the use of animal pathogens as a threat. 

The project also introduces new tools for the Good Emergency Management Practices (GEMP) such as facilitation kit and a specific module on the intentional use of pathogens related to agro-crime or bio-terrorism affecting animal health.

FAO Representative in Jordan Nabil Assaf said: “This project will use the Surveillance Evaluation Tool (SET), which is a normative FAO tool that has helped more than 20 countries in Africa and Asia to assess and develop action plans to improve their animal disease surveillance systems and detection of unusual animal health events that may be related to agro-terrorism or agro-crime in collaboration between law enforcement agencies and veterinary services.”

Deputising for Agriculture Minister Khalid Hneifat, Assistant Secretary General for Livestock Ali Abu Nukta, said: “It is necessary to raise the level of veterinary services within the governmental and private sectors, starting with the livestock sector in the Ministry of Agriculture, to be a single unit ready to deal with any accidental event that negatively affects humans, animals and the environment, and as a result on the national economy and national security.”

Middle East is one of the three-targeted regions together with North Africa and Southeast Asia, and Jordan has been selected as a pilot country, the statement said.