Simulation exercise: Emergency Animal Disease in Australia

Dr Mark Schipp, Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Canberra, Australia informed the OIE that a simulation exercise, Exercise Argonaut, will be held in Australia on 8 and 9 October 2020, using a foot and mouth disease scenario.

Participants include the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Agriculture Victoria, Australian wool industry and farming organisations, and Animal Health Australia.

Exercise Argonaut is a discussion exercise with the aim to enhance wool industry and government understanding of emergency animal disease (EAD) response roles and responsibilities, and identify and inform development of resources required to support the post-farm gate wool industry in the event of an EAD response.

The objectives of the exercise are to:

1. Explore roles and responsibilities of government agencies and wool industry bodies during an EAD response.
2. Raise awareness of control measures that would apply to wool and wool-handling facilities in response to an outbreak, using foot and mouth disease as an example.
3. Develop shared (government and industry) understanding of business continuity issues that would arise in an EAD response that disrupts wool supply chain and exports.
4. Identify gaps in preparedness of wool industries for dealing with an EAD response that disrupts wool supply chain and exports.
5. Identify resources, procedures and a communications strategy needed for post farm gate personnel in the event of an EAD response.
6. Test Wool Producers Australia’s crisis communications and EAD response plans.

This will be a virtual (digital/web-based) exercise and no field activities will take place.

For further information about the exercise, please contact Jarrad Sanderson (jarrad.sanderson@awe.gov.au).

 
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World Animal Health Information and Analysis Department
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
information.dept@oie.int