The Biosecurity Authority is working towards finalizing an Animal Biosecurity Emergency Response Plan (ABERP) to better respond to emergency situations relating to animal health and diseases.

This will allow BAF to be better positioned to respond to emergencies, which may be related to incursion of animal diseases or invasive species into Fiji.

BAF is working in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to finalize the ABERP in addressing any exotic concerns in the livestock sectors.

The first round of consultations was conducted in April this year where initial views and comments from all stakeholders were taken regarding critical matters.

The second round of stakeholder meeting which took place in Nadi this week focused on the gist of the draft ABERP prepared by Ausvet, engaging in a mock exercise by relevant stakeholders and to seek their consensus regarding their roles and responsibilities during an actual emergency response.

Ausvet is a leading global consulting services provider in epidemiology, disease surveillance, health information systems, biosecurity, risk assessment, research and data analysis and project management.

Animal Health Australia is also assisting with the formulation of the Animal Biosecurity Emergency Response Plan.

BAF’s Acting Chief Executive Surend Pratap says BAF and its stakeholders need to be well versed with how to respond to emergency situations in such changing times and be equipped with pooled resources to deliver proactively in a timely manner.