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Role of central government, local authorities and the private sector
from the private sector, such as representatives of major livestock farming and processing organizations.
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During ”peacetime”, at least one veterinarian from each local veterinary office, preferably the local District Veterinary Officer, should be co-opted into the planning process to take part in preparing contingency plans and operations manuals within Local (animal) disease control centres (LDCCs). It would also be advantageous to include non-veterinary technical staff from this administrative level in preparing the operations manuals. In both cases, these staff with daily exposure to field conditions will bring essential knowledge and experience that will help to ensure that contingency plans and SOPs are practical and address the real issues and limitations so that they will be usable in the event of an outbreak.
role of central government, local authorItIes and the PrIvate sector
Central government plays the lead role in planning and preparing for animal disease emergencies. At this level, legislation is passed and national preparedness and contingency plans are formulated and approved. Central government is also responsible for planning and running most training and simulation exercises which build the capacity and practical skills required during an outbreak.
Central government also has a clear role in the overall control of an animal disease emergency. It is only at this level that the policy decision-making and financial resources required to undertake the process are available. However, centralized government often does not have the manpower required to undertake the policies or, in many decentralized countries, the authority to implement them as this has often been devolved to regions or to provinces.
Local authorities (e.g. provincial, municipal) also play an important role in animal disease emergencies. While collaboration among ministries and other organizations is vital at the national level, collaboration at the local level is often equally or more important. As noted above, there are many countries in which much of the responsibility and authority for the implementation and enforcement of control measures lies at this level. These officers can play a key role in any LDCC.
The private sector also has an important role to play in planning and preparing. Frequently, private production units are affected during an emergency, and owners of these units should be involved at some stage of decision-making – preferably at all levels, where possible – in order to maintain cooperation with the national and local authorities. Excluding them leads to resentment and delays in implementing control measures – which will make the outcome worse, rather than better.
Other parts of the private sector are important in implementing control. Except for highly centralized systems, governments tend to have a limited supply of specialist staff that they can call on, and this supply of experts is rapidly used up in any emergency situation. The private sector usually has to be considered as a source of the necessary “surge capacity” of specialist staff.
The armed forces may be able to supply large numbers of less specialized staff, but this
applies mostly where military service is compulsory. Where armed forces are limited in size, non-specialist staff may be required from the private sector as well. During an animal health emergency, there are often private sector specialists and non-specialists, such as private veterinary practitioners and veterinary students , who are available because their normal work has been suspended because of the emergency. Governments should be prepared to employ such staff on a temporary basis; they can supply manpower and bring specialist local knowledge which is invaluable at LDCC and operational levels.
The large supply of equipment that is required during an emergency should not be held in stock, but rather should be obtained from private sources when needed. Facilities, such as transport and rendering capacity, will need to be leased or reserved for use during an emergency. It is clear from this that the private sector has to be involved in the planning and preparation phase, as agreements to provide staff, equipment and facilities at agreed levels and prices during an emergency are developed. Staff also may need to be trained in order to be capable to take part in control measures quickly and when required. Participation in simulation exercises at the appropriate levels will be highly beneficial in building skills and relationships that will be vital during an emergency.
Some countries have negotiated international arrangements to provide needed “surge capacity” of critical resources (e.g. veterinarians and laboratory scientists) from neighbouring countries or countries with similar interests.
