President of the OIE Assembly, Director General of the OIE, Representatives of International Institutions, Fellow Delegates, Ladies and gentlemen,

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Domenic Harper
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1 President of the OIE Assembly, Director General of the OIE, Representatives of International Institutions, Fellow Delegates, Ladies and gentlemen, In this situation of distress that the Republic of Haiti is having to endure in the aftermath of the earthquake on 12 January 2010, I must express my heartfelt gratitude towards the World Organisation for Animal Health, for having, right from the start of this disaster, expressed its solidarity with the veterinary staff and all the people of Haiti. My presence on this platform is a clear sign of the OIE s readiness to stand by the Directorate of Animal Health of Haiti s Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development at a crucial point in its history by giving it this opportunity to share with representatives of the veterinary establishment from all four corners of the world the nation s anguish, its day-to-day experiences, its efforts and its hopes for a better future. I therefore have very great pleasure in thanking the OIE, both on my own behalf and on that of the Ministry, for inviting me to address this august Assembly and give you all an idea of the health challenges facing the country at this difficult juncture. I shall never forget the OIE s commitment on behalf of my country s Veterinary Services, through its Regional Representation for the Americas, just days after the earthquake. A telephone conference was rapidly organised in conjunction with the OIE to identify the main intervention requirements. This enabled the Directorate of Animal Health to develop a post-earthquake health action programme, which was then distributed via the OIE to various countries and regional and international institutions for funding purposes. While it is true that the country s problems did not begin with this terrible earthquake which destroyed much of the infrastructure and claimed some 250,000 human lives, there is no escaping the fact that they have since become worse, with the evacuation of more than 500,000 people from the capital to the countryside, and the deterioration of the environment and living conditions, especially in towns directly affected by the cataclysm. During its history as a free nation, the country has gone through decades of conflictual management of political situations and questionable governance, leading it into a downward spiral that affects all sectors of society. The agricultural production sector has been one of the hardest hit. Its contribution to the country s economy has been in constant decline since the early 1990s. From 37% in 1991, agriculture s share of real GDP fell to 25% in 2008 even though its still involved 90% of the population. At the same time there has been no real development of the industrial sector. This is also true

2 of the livestock sub-sector. The fact is that agriculture and livestock farming are carried on in some 800,000 smallholdings scattered throughout almost all of the country. There is a marked predominance of backyard livestock units, acting more as a savings bank than a profitable enterprise. And yet, animal populations are far from negligible. If any proof were needed, one has only to bear in mind that the country has about one million cattle, 800,000 pigs and 2.5 million goats. Given the production conditions, the risks of diseases are quite high. These small family-run units account for about 90% of national livestock production, meeting the whole of the demand for indigenous poultry and meat from small ruminants, whereas massive imports of eggs, chickens, milk and pork are needed to meet the country s requirements for these products. The development of the livestock sector therefore faces a number of obstacles, the most serious being: - The poor supply of animal feed - The lack of rural credit facilities - The high cost of production equipment and veterinary inputs - The poor level of training and supervision of producers, in terms of both production techniques and veterinary care. A consequence of the lack of livestock production infrastructure and the organisational shortcomings of the Veterinary Services is that epizootic or zoonotic diseases, including for example Newcastle disease, rabies and anthrax, have become endemic and continue to cause considerable economic losses as well as human fatalities. In 1996, the country suffered a reintroduction of classical swine fever after a 12-year period of freedom from the disease. Losses caused by the epizootic are estimated to have been around eight million USD for the year 1997/98 whereas losses resulting from ecto- and endoparasitic diseases were put at tens of millions of USD. A study carried out by FAO found that losses directly or indirectly attributable to New World screwworm alone were in the order of 19 million USD per year. It should be added that a lack of quarantine facilities means that the country is inadequately protected from the introduction of exotic animal diseases and pests. Although early detection and rapid response systems do exist for some diseases, they are far from being fully operational. In February 2009, for instance, the country was infected with teschovirus encephalomyelitis, otherwise known as Teschen disease. This disease is currently the biggest threat to pig production in Haiti, to the point of discouraging rural farmers, who hold 98% of the country s 800,000 pigs. In Artibonite department, the area where the disease was first detected, the prevalence rate is reported to be about 40%, with a mortality rate of 20 to 25%. The country is seeking to acquire two million doses of vaccine to try to stop the spread of the disease. Despite the combined efforts of the Haitian Government and FAO to find a reliable international laboratory willing to produce ant-teschen vaccines on behalf of Haiti, there have not yet been any satisfactory responses to the request sent by FAO to some sixty vaccine producers around the world. I fervently hope that a solution can be found before

3 the end of the present General Session, given your greater awareness of the problems facing pig production, the momentum of your solidarity and the strong willingness you express whenever it is a question of flying to the assistance of a people in distress or weakened by natural disasters. However, in spite of the deficiencies I have mentioned, which in many cases can be ascribed to a lack of logistic and financial resources, the country has nevertheless made some progress in recent years with strengthening its Veterinary Services. Witness the results achieved in the control of classical swine fever and rabies and the operation of epidemiological surveillance networks for diseases such as anthrax, Newcastle disease and avian influenza. The efforts made by the Haitian Treasury, coupled with those of the international community, to finance some of the programmes have greatly contributed to achieving these results. However, it is important to single out the impact that strengthening the veterinary staff of the Ministry of Agriculture has had on the functioning of the national veterinary system. Thanks to cooperation between Haiti and Cuba, sixty new veterinary doctors who graduated in Cuba have been incorporated into the organisational structure of the Veterinary Services during the past four years. The creation of Animal Health Groups (GSB: Groupements de Santé Bêtes) in 1997 by the Ministry of Agriculture was a highly commendable initiative and of great benefit to the country. These groups have played a positive role, carrying out vaccination campaigns and assisting with epidemiological surveillance and animal disease notification. They consist of associations of rural livestock producers with two or three veterinary officers located in the various administrative sections of the country. The aim is to equip each of the country s 565 sections with at least one group, offering producers support at a local level. These few signs of progress cannot hide the fact that Haiti s Veterinary Services are still obsolete and need to be modernised, taking into account animal production and animal and public health requirements, and the international standards laid down by the competent authorities, in particular the OIE. The Haitian Government is already well aware of the situation. Taking advantage of the international solidarity shown to Haiti from all quarters in the aftermath of the earthquake, it prepared a reconstruction plan for the country, with agriculture as one of the components. On 31 March this year, at a forum in Washington, the political authorities officially presented the priorities for the economic development of the country, placing the emphasis on priorities in the agricultural sector including the livestock production and health sub-sector.

4 The post-earthquake animal health emergency programme includes the following main topics: - Restructuring of the official Veterinary Services based on local resources and production conditions and the international standards laid down by the competent international body (OIE); - Choice of Programmes and projects according to the priorities of the agricultural sector, public health and environmental protection; - Consolidation of the structure of the Animal Health Groups (GSB: Groupements Santé Bêtes) and the setting up of local and departmental federations of GSB; - Strengthening of cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture and private and non-governmental organisations involved in animal production and health; - Training of specialist senior veterinary staff and middle-level technicians; - Evaluation of the quality of work done by private and non-governmental animal health service providers active in the country. The programmes and projects are chosen according to well-defined criteria, namely: their impact on animal health in terms of morbidity and mortality, their economic importance, their impact on public health, their importance as transboundary diseases. The main diseases included in the emergency programme are as follows: Newcastle disease, which causes approximately 30% of losses/year in the rural economy. Classical swine fever, a disease feared by all pig-producing countries due to its major economic repercussions. The disease is currently well under control but the aim is now its eradication; Rabies, a major zoonosis that even in the quite recent past had a relatively high prevalence in the country. Anthrax: also a major zoonosis. The country has a number of anthrax zones. Every year people die from the disease; Endo- and ectoparasitic diseases of cattle and poultry; Gumboro disease is often neglected, yet in some parts of the country the prevalence is over 20%; Avian influenza; Teschovirus encephalomyelitis, or Teschen disease, which is currently causing significant economic losses in the pig population. Other programmes relate to: development of decentralised Veterinary Services; improved conditions for animal slaughter and preparation and packing of meat; training of veterinary middle management staff. training of postgraduate veterinary management staff.

5 President of the OIE Assembly, Director General, Representatives of International Institutions, Fellow Delegates, Ladies and gentlemen, Today, the Republic of Haiti stands at a turning point in its history, where it must decide on its future as a free nation on the path of progress and modernisation. To rebuild on a solid foundation in the aftermath of the earthquake, the country must make judicious choices and benefit from the expertise and in particular the understanding of more advanced nations. I therefore invite you to continue to show solidarity towards the Haitian people and not hesitate to stand by us in our quest for betterment and progress. What is true at the global level also holds true for the animal health domain. The Haitian Veterinary Services would be pleased to develop dynamic partnership models to the mutual benefit of each party. I like to think that this humanitarian form of solidarity already underway will not fail. Let us ensure that, through your help, my country will begin to flourish. In the words of the Haitian novelist Jacques Stephen Alexis: Les hommes sont comme les arbres, ils fleurissent à la bonne saison ( People are like trees they blossom in the right season ). Let us make haste and bring on the right season for the Veterinary Services and people of Haiti. THANK YOU

SECOND FAO/OIE REGIONAL MEETING ON AVIAN INFLUENZA CONTROL IN ASIA Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, February 2005

SECOND FAO/OIE REGIONAL MEETING ON AVIAN INFLUENZA CONTROL IN ASIA Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 23-25 February 2005 OIE Address for the Opening Session (Dr T. Fujita, OIE Representative, OIE Regional Representation