Foot and Mouth workshop launched

The images on television illustrating the impact of the Foot and Mouth disease in Europe are still vivid in the minds of livestock producers here in Belize. Despite the fact that Belize is F.M.D. free, today the Ministry of Agriculture launched a three-day workshop on the disease. The aim is to assess the impact it would have on the livestock industry, review the current global situation and establish a national response plan, should the disease be introduced to animals here. The workshop will culminate with a simulation exercise to test veterinary response measures. Facilitators are Dr. Luis Espinoza, Director of Animal Health at OIRSA in El Salvador and Nicaraguan consultants Dr. Roberto Dangla and Dr. Augusto Cordon. Participants include various members of the health and agriculture sectors.