...a conference on synergism and globalization

Fundación Chile
Conference Center
Santiago, Chile
May 6-8, 2001

...to focus attention on the critically important relationship between veterinary education, veterinary regulation, and the world food industry

...to stimulate international dialog on the key issues of food safety, food security and safe trade

New veterinarians generally lack a comprehensive understanding of how information technology, food security, and sustainable agriculture are related to the production of safe food. New veterinarians are also being asked to promote risk analysis, food safety and trade policy, subjects that are directly related to veterinary medicine but are only minimally visible in the curriculum. Veterinarians working for multinational corporations are being challenged to evaluate and use new technologies, to expand the production of pathogen free food animals and products, and to operate in a globally competitive and environmentally responsible way. All of these critical issues demonstrate that the breadth and quality of the education that veterinarians receive now clearly impacts international trade.

There is a global necessity to link food safety and veterinary medicine, emerging food animal diseases, and economics to food security. The objective of the conference is to focus attention on the critically important relationship between veterinary education, veterinary regulation, and the world food industry, and to stimulate international dialog on the key issues of food safety, food security and safe trade, not just free trade.

• Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges
• Consejo Panamericano de Educacion en Ciencias Veterinarias
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• Fundación Chile
• Institute for Interamerican Cooperation on Agriculture
• Merial, Ltd.
• Universidad Mayor
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• U.S. Department of Defense, National Security Education Program
• U.S. Department of Education, Fund for Improvement in Postsecondary Education

...will be published in the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education

Evening reception - El Claustro, Universidad Mayor

Registration

Welcome and introductions

Blueprint for the conference - Corrie Brown, Gale Wagner

Corrie Brown and Gale Wagner will introduce the concept of global veterinary leadership as it affects trade in food animals and products, and the new opportunities for involvement with all sectors involved in food animal production - industry and commodity groups, agencies involved in public health and animal health extension and regulation, and colleges of veterinary medicine.

This session proposes to demystify regulatory veterinary medicine and the process of free trade of food animals and food products. Eduardo Correa Melo, Panaftosa, Brazil will discuss what Latin American ministries of agriculture would like from academics and industry. Alex Thiermann, USDA, International Services will describe what the USDA needs from academics and industry to better fulfill its mission.

What Latin American ministries of agriculture would like from academics and industry - Eduardo Correa Melo, Panaftosa, Brazil

What USDA needs from academics and industry to better fulfill its mission - Alex Thiermann, USDA, International Services

Questions and answers, Panel discussion

The question and answer session will give participants an opportunity to discuss further the impact of organizations such as the OIE and the WTO on free trade

The presentations are intended to catalyze a cultural change in veterinary medical education. Macarena Vidal, Dean, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, will discuss the current climate in Latin American veterinary academics, and the possible roles for regulatory and corporate veterinary medicine. Lonnie King, Dean, Michigan State University, Lansing, will discuss changes in North American veterinary education, and how colleges might optimize new relationships with regulatory and industry sectors.

Changes in North American veterinary medicine - how could interfaces with regulatory and industrial sectors be optimized? - Lonnie King, Dean, Michigan State University

Current climate in Latin American veterinary academics - possible roles for regulatory and industry veterinary medicine - Macarena Vidal, Dean, Universidad Mayor, Chile

Questions and answers, Panel discussion

Discussion will highlight programs and initiatives that open up opportunities for involvement with all sectors involved in food animal production - industry and commodity groups, agencies involved in public health and animal health extension and regulation, and colleges of veterinary medicine. The breakout sessions will concentrate on teaching global veterinary medicine; preparing the profession to meet regulatory challenges; and on a new educational strategy to meet the expectations of industry and trade.

Breakout sessions

Topics:

• Teaching global veterinary medicine
• Preparing the profession to meet regulatory challenges
• Emergency preparedness - how to synergize?

Reports from breakouts

Tuesday, May 8

The Livestock Revolution - Predictions concerning animal agriculture and food production in 2020 - Sebastian Heath, AAAS Fellow, USAID

What are the major challenges for animal agriculture and food production for the next 20 years? Invited speakers will discuss the impact of the "Livestock Revolution" from the perspective of agriculture and agriculture research development agencies and organizations.

Animal products and trade from Latin America - how can we synergize with academics and government? - Juan Miguel Ovalle, Presidente de la Asociación de Productores Avícolas de Chile A. G.

Industrial veterinary medicine from a North American perspective - how can academics and government contribute? - Bob Jones, Vice President, Animal Health Division, Alpharma

As companies become more global and international trade expands, how can industry work with veterinary educators and regulators to facilitate the movement of food products without danger of human or animal diseases? Dr. Juan Miguel Oballe will give a perspective from Latin American industry as to how academics and government could help to increase safe trade. A spokesperson from the North American food industry will make suggestions as to how more synergism could be obtained from government and academics.

Questions and answers, Panel discussion

Educational preparedness - short presentations on international instructional and outreach programs

This session addresses the key issues in veterinary medical education, especially the strategies for developing and delivering educational outreach networks and programs. Selected speakers will examine the influence of institutional culture on curriculum change, developing diversified funding support for educational outreach programs, and identifying regional, national and international priorities, among other topics.

Panel discussion and Breakout sessions

Panelists will lead a discussion on how the online learning environment can be used to harmonize veterinary education in the Americas.

Topics:

• Trade and food safety in veterinary medicine
• On-line learning environment

Conference wrap-up

The main points of the conference will be summarized. Plans for a working structure to implement action items and maintain continuing dialog will be formulated.

Posters describing projects or programs involving international initiatives in veterinary medicine were displayed throughout the meeting.

Gale Wagner
Texas A&M University
gwagner@cvm.tamu.edu

Corrie Brown
University of Georgia
corbrown@vet.uga.edu

Macarena Vidal, Universidad Mayor
Carlos Arellano, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Victor Cubillos, Universidad Austral de Chile
Eugenia Muchnik, Fundación Chile
Jose Nagel, Institute for Interamerican Cooperation on Agriculture
Santiago Urcelay, Universidad de Chile

This event was jointly organized by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Pan-American Association on Veterinary Sciences (PANVET), the Pan-American Federation of Faculties and Schools in Veterinary Sciences (FPFECV) and the Pan-American Council on Education in Veterinary Sciences (COPEVET).

For more information contact:  Carlos Arellano-Sota, FAO (carlos.arellanosota@fao.org), Victor Cubillos, COPEVET (vcubillo@uach.cl) or Francisco Trigo, PANVET (trigo@servidor.unam.mx).