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The recently elected president of the Council of Delegates of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Hugo Idoyaga, stressed that Paraguay had made great progress in its health system, so it should prepare for a next step, which is the gradual lifting of the vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease.
“Paraguay experienced an important evolution in the field of animal health and the export of meat products, with transparency and formalism in its control system. Now, it must be preparing for the gradual lifting of vaccination, as neighboring countries, especially Brazil, have been doing ”, he expressed in an interview with the Rural Association of Paraguay (ARP).
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Regarding the liberation of Brazil, Idoyaga mentioned that during the last general session of the OIE, several States of that country were certified as “FMD free without vaccination”, which is also a transit channel for Paraguayan products in special circumstances .
This, taking into account that it is an important destination for exports of national meat products, so it is imminent to walk through the same steps to access the status of “country free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination.”
Idoyaga warned that if the aforementioned is not considered, it will be very likely that difficulties will arise for the internment and / or transit of animals and products of animal origin, mainly if other states of Brazil, such as the bordering states, access the FMD-free status without vaccination. Indian. However, he recognized that Paraguay made important steps in this regard, such as reducing vaccination periods and withdrawing a strain of the vaccine.
But he clarified that the decision to stop vaccinating does not only mean lifting the syringe, but that there are very important aspects that must be considered. Therefore, assuming such a decision will necessarily mean a paradigm shift both in the political, public, livestock sectors and surely important investments, therefore, discussions in this regard should be started and aim for a single status or certification for the entire production system , he stressed.
“We must consider the composition of producers, which approximately 15% own almost 85% of the national cattle herd, with a high level of technology implementation, which will facilitate the process, but there are also 85% of small producers that need to understand and make the decision, “he said.
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Finally, the head of the Council of Delegates of the OIE explained that one of the weaknesses of the national health system, which has received questions from international audits, is the double and even a triple health standard, that is, it has differentiated certification systems for certain markets.
And it is in this aspect that it should also aim to have a single sanitary certification standard, which will mean that both the national and international consumer have access to products originating under the same production and health care and hygiene regime, he said.
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