Qatar, represented in the Ministry of Municipality, chaired the 46th preparatory meeting of the Permanent Committee for Livestock, for the meeting ofthe ministers and senior officials of livestock affairs in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC), which concluded its work on Tuesday in Doha.

The two-day meeting was held under the chairmanship of Director of the Livestock Department at the Ministry of Municipality Eng Abdulaziz Al Ziyara, chairman of the current session. The meeting discussed several topics related to animal affairs and ways to develop them among the GCC countries.

The meeting also reviewed several topics on the agenda, including initiatives for unified collective purchasing of veterinary medicines and vaccines, central registration of veterinary preparations, and strengthening cooperation with the sub-regional office of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) for the GCC countries.

The meeting also discussed enhancing capabilities to deal with epidemic diseases and developing the Gulf centre for early warning of animal diseases.

The meeting reviewed the centre’s achievements report for 2023 and the technical team’s recommendations to develop its capabilities in dealing with transboundary diseases. The meeting emphasized the need to update the executive regulations of the preventive measures against infectious and epidemic animal diseases law to ensure the effectiveness of preventive measures.

The meeting also discussed strengthening the capabilities of veterinary laboratories in the GCC countries to increase their efficiency in diagnosing and controlling diseases, which contributes strategically to reducing the effects of disease outbreaks on livestock. The meetings stressed the importance of facilitating the movement of consignments of live animals between the GCC countries by establishing a unified system for entry to standardize veterinary procedures and improve the efficiency of inspection at border crossings, which enhances trade cooperation and ensures the safe and sustainable provision of supplies.

The meeting also addressed the Gulf plan to combat bacterial resistance to antibiotics in the veterinary field, where the outcomes of the workshop held in Jeddah were reviewed with the participation of all member states, where it was agreed to unify efforts to confront this phenomenon effectively. In addition, the meeting emphasized strengthening cooperation between the Permanent Committee of Livestock and the sub-regional office of the WOAH to improve animal health and enhance food security in the Gulf countries.

This meeting comes in preparation for the meeting of the ministers and senior livestock officials in the GCC countries, which will be held this week to approve the recommendations and decisions issued by the preparatory meetings.