The FINANCIAL — A multidisciplinary delegation of Georgians and Armenians, led by animal health experts from Colorado State University, visited California in October on a one-week study tour of the U.S. animal health systems, according to the Embassy of the United States in Georgia.
Sixteen Georgians and three Armenians visited dairy farm operations in Northern California, an anthrax laboratory at University of California at Davis, and a private veterinary clinic before attending the 117th Annual Meeting of the United States Animal Health Association in San Diego. The visit provided the delegation with new perspectives and firsthand experience of the public-private dialogue surrounding important animal health issues in the United States. Additionally, Colorado State University veterinary expert Dr. Debby Reynolds and Dr. Valerie Ragan of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine facilitated a workshop on anthrax to help refine the Government of Georgia’s strategy for identifying and reducing the number of animal anthrax cases that will be implemented in 2014, according to the Embassy of the United States in Georgia.
U.S. Department of Agriculture program manager, Lindsay Malecha, noted that this study tour “has been an excellent opportunity for both delegations to observe the animal health policy making process in the United States and will allow them to apply relevant lessons in their respective countries.”
The visit and workshop were part of the ongoing collaboration between Colorado State University and Georgia’s Ministry of Agriculture, funded by the U.S. Department of State and coordinated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. The goal of the program is to provide capacity building and support for government leaders to address critical animal health issues of national concern, mainly focused on five priority diseases with economic and public health impact. The program, in its fifth year, continues to support the Ministry of Agriculture through the development of the National Animal Health Program (NAHP) and the coordination of donor, government, NGO and private sector activities.
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