Russia, China and Mongolia tackle transboundary disease

Animal health experts from Russia, China and Mongolia will meet later this month to discuss transboundary animal disease control.

The meeting, which will take place on 22-25 January 2013, will be hosted by Russian veterinary service Rosselkhoznadzor, with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases.

Attendees will include Rosselkhoznadzor officials, Mongolia’s chief veterinary officer, Batsukh Zayad and the general director of the Bureau of Veterinary Service of China’s Ministry for Agriculture, Dr Zhang Zhongqiu.

Rosselkhoznadzor said the aim of the meeting was to “support a regional approach to transboundary animal disease control and to establish a data exchange forum aimed at disease surveillance and control harmonisation between the three countries (Russia, Mongolia and China)”.

The countries will share their experiences in controlling animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth, highly pathogenic avian influenza and African swine fever.

They will review the progress made on transboundary disease control to date and discuss the development of memorandum of understanding between Russia, China and Mongolia to govern future controls.