Veterinary and phytosanitary policy: what Kazakhstan pursues
Veterinary security
According to Minister of Agriculture Saparkhan Omarov, who reported on the country’s epizootic situation, 20 hotbeds of animal diseases have been recorded since the beginning of the year.
“In 2018, there were 347 hotbeds of severely hazardous animal diseases against 360 in the year-earlier period, including 180 at-risk sites in relation to brucellosis against 217 in 2017. 125 such sites underwent treatment and were closed down upon assessment by local authorities, veterinary-recreational activities are under way in other 55 sites, with 20 hotbeds registered since the start of the year”, he said.
From 47 estimated positions by the World Organisation for Animal Health, 14 positions were improved, with recommendations given on mere 3 positions.
“A year ago, the World Organisation for Animal Health highly praised the modernization of the veterinary service undertaken in the country for 2017-2019 years following the mission of independent foreign experts. So, out of 47 estimated positions, Kazakhstan improved 14 positions, and kept higher estimates on 30 positions, recommendations to improve were received on 3 positions”, the Kazakh Agriculture Minister said.
It was reported that in order to ensure veterinary security, a joint action plan between the Committee for Veterinary Control and Supervision and regional Governor’s Offices for 2019-21 to further enhance the veterinary service, a plan for 2019 to conduct prevention and veterinary events and diagnostic research have been elaborated and passed.
The funding of veterinary activities for 2019 is KZT45.2bn., KZT2.9bn more than in the past year. In 2019 it is planned to carry out manipulation for KZT137,2mln to vaccinate against 17 most dangerous animal and bird diseases, which is less by 2 million due to the improvement on listeria. In addition, there are plans to provide identification of young animals, 13.9 million farm animals, as well as to conduct 72,4 million research works on 28 most dangerous animal diseases, 34.8 million blood samples for laboratory uses. To meet the recommendations of the World Organisation for Animal Health, a strategy against brucellosis has been revised. So, not only one particular animal with positive tests for brucellosis will subject to veterinary activities but the entire flock.
The strategy against highly pathogenic avian influenza underwent changes in determining risk zones of the farm, population within a radius of 20km around the operating poultry farms, and parental flocks, like the farms on the way of wild bird migration and nearby water ways will be vaccinated against the disease.
As for anthrax, the annual preventive vaccination is provided to susceptible animals with 100% coverage. Control over the quality of vaccines used is enhanced, including the determination of their quality is held in international laboratories. In the period of 2017-2018, 2180 registered anthrax burial sites are fenced and marked.
Kazakhstan has received a positive conclusion from international experts on the fight against nodular dermatitis. In this February, China’s General Customs Administration recognized Kazakhstan’s situation on nodular dermatitis as stable, with the restrictions on FMD removed. The veterinary requirements for small livestock and cattle meat were agreed, inspections were conducted in 5 lamb processing enterprises, which were included into the register, and the inclusion of 4 beef processing enterprises is expected, giving Kazakhstan an access to the Chinese market.
Kazakhstan’s stable statuses on FMD and the zone without vaccination and on African horse sickness virus in 5 zones with vaccination have been reaffirmed. The veterinary requirements for beef exports, small livestock sub-products, eggs, cattle for slaughter from Kazakhstan came under discussion with Iran. A veterinary certificate to export small livestock and cattle for slaughter and breeding from Kazakhstan was approved with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Beef and lamb meat is being exported to Bahrain. Negotiations on veterinary requirements for pork meat with China and on veterinary certificates on beef and lamb, live cattle with Oman are under way.
“I would like to note that early this year Kazakhstan has received the historic favorable status on African swine fever. Work continues with the World Organisation for Animal Health to train veterinary specialists in France, to receive the OIE reference laboratory status on peste des petits ruminants by the Kazakh laboratory for the Central Asian countries to cooperate on brucellosis and listeria”, the Minister said.
It is envisaged to establish a single veterinary control and supervision system, and mobile checkpoints to control the movement of animals and products, to finance inspections of Kazakh enterprises at the expense of the budget to enter third countries’ registers. This year the Kazakh laboratory plans to accredit 4 laboratories in border and export-orientated areas, as well as material and technical equipment of 28 district laboratories, expanding a list of services rendered on diagnosis and food security are envisaged.
Phytosanitary security
Moving onto the phytosanitary and plant quarantine issue, KZT34.6bn is envisaged to finance the activities, demonstrating an increase by KZT7bn. In 2019, to carry out the activities against pests and quarantined facilities, an approximately KZT4.9bn is allocated against KZT3.6bn in last year, with pesticides, their storage services and transportation and application already purchased.
“In the second decade of April, it is planned to begin chemical works against grasshoppers in the southern parts of the country. The phytosanitary services of Kazakhstan regionalized the country’s territory according to the most dangerous pests and quarantined facilities”, the Agriculture Minister said.
The timely events halved the areal extent of grasshoppers. New treatment methods taking into consideration the scientific recommendations of the FAO are used. In general, the area infected with pests has reduced from 5mln ha in 2016 to 3.9mln ha in 2019. The hotbeds of spread of quarantined weed and Solanum rostratum have been completely eliminated, as well as the spread areas of some quarantined objects such as fall webworm, San Jose Scale, Grapholita molesta have been reduced.
“To protect Kazakhstan from introductions and the spread of quarantined objects, 19 February 2019 interim phytosanitary quarantine events were introduced like a ban to export persimmons, apples, seed and ware potatoes to Kyrgyzstan. Roadmaps to collaborate in the phytosanitary and quarantine control field were singed with the Kyrgyz and Uzbek colleagues”, the speaker said.
In 2018, the phytosanitary requirements for exports of lucerne, grist, barley and corn with the General Customs Administration of China were concluded. Two inspections were carried out on barley and corn that made it possible to export these products officially. Over 30 flour milling facilities out of 105 grain storage facilities were included into the register of the PRC, thus increasing the export of Kazakh flour to the Chinese market. It is important to notice that due to the work of the veterinary and phytosanitary services of Kazakhstan, overall 2557 Kazakh exporting enterprises are included into other countries’ registers, and 2212 Kazakh enterprises – into EEU registers.
“In analogy with Russian pre-notification points, Kazakhstan starting in this month will found 32 veterinary and phytosanitary control points along the borders with the EEU member States. Each control point is technically equipped for information exchange with other Kazakh services and the same services of the neighboring EEU member states. Such points have a portable lab to conduct express analysis and modern stoves - incinerators – to eliminate the most dangerous freight in the event of a failure to return or a high risk of contamination of the country’s territory”, the Minister said.
The Agriculture Minister spoke that to ensure control in such points requires interaction between other public authorities as there is a need in help from border guards and customs officials to promptly convey the information on the freight passage through the border to checkpoints, help from the Internal Ministry’s traffic officers and transport control officers of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development’s Transport Committee to stop vehicles and check the documents in case the tracking of returned goods to the border is needed. This will increase the effective import and transit of goods, prevent the entry of non-conforming goods. The strengthened border control will make it possible to keep the earlier reached achievements in relations to the country’s recognition as favorable in terms of the most dangerous diseases, and to receive the favorable recognition with regard to CSF and avian influenza, which, in turn, will contribute to the export geography expansion and an increase in exports of Kazakh products.
Mentioning of the agro-industrial complex development programme, Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin underlined some tasks the Government tackles and the necessity to observe the veterinary and phytosanitary requirements, pointing that all the regions of Kazakhstan received the FMD-free status.
“As part of the implementation of the agro-industrial complex development programme until 2020, the Government faces some tasks, including increasing the export of processed agricultural products by at least 2.5 times. To this end, it is necessary to ensure the observance of the veterinary and phytosanitary requirements. In 2017, all the regions of Kazakhstan received the FMD-free status, the conditions and restrictions export livestock products to Iran, the Emirates, Saudi Arabia have been discussed and relieved. Negotiations on terms to export livestock products to Israel, Malaysia, South Korea and other countries are under way. Work should go on to remove veterinary and phytosanitary barriers and expand markets”, the Kazakh PM said.
Taking into consideration the potential, Kazakhstan should turn into a reliable supplier of high-quality environment-friendly products, according to the PM.
“In this connection, he tasked the Agriculture Ministry with Governors to take the registration and movement of animals, storage and use terms for veterinary drugs and timely vaccination under special control in order to ensure a stable epizootic situation, as well as to take organizational measures to timely protect crop areas from agricultural pests. Given the mutual trade with our EEU partners, it is necessary to carry out the procedures within our agreements”, the PM concluded.
Adlet Seilkhanov
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