المملكة: Enhancing food security .. The Kingdom celebrates the International Day of Veterinary Medicine

The Kingdom celebrated the International Day of Veterinary Medicine, which is held annually on the last Saturday of April to highlight the pivotal roles played by veterinary doctors, to protect livestock, promote public health and ensure food safety.
This came during the ceremony organized by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, in cooperation with the National Center for the Prevention of Plant Pest and Animal Diseases and its combat “Taqa”, in the presence of the Assistant Undersecretary for Livestock and Fisheries at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture Ali bin Muhammad Al -Sheikhi and the CEO of the Ayman bin Saad Al -Ghamdi Center and a number of specialists and experts in the fields of veterinary medicine and animal health.

International Veterinary Medicine Day

On this occasion, the Assistant Undersecretary of Livestock and Fisheries at the Ministry, Ali bin Muhammad Al -Sheikhi, during his speech at the ceremony, stressed the importance of the veterinary medicine profession in enhancing food and health security by monitoring common diseases and combating epidemics to ensure the quality of animal products, as well as its contribution to maintaining the environmental balance.
He noted the necessity of supporting national veterinary cadres by providing specialized training programs and developing veterinary infrastructure in a way that enhances the efficiency of the services provided and contributes to achieving the targets of the Kingdom’s 2030 vision in the areas of sustainability, animal kindness and health security.
He indicated that the ministry attaches great importance to developing the animal health sector in the Kingdom by supporting animal diseases prevention and enhancing surveillance and rapid response systems, as well as adopting the best global veterinary practices in a way that contributes to the sustainability of the sector and achieving food security goals.

Animal health sector

The Head of the Animal Health Sector at the “Waqa” Sanad bin Salem Al -Harbi Center explained that the slogan of the International Day of this year “Animal Health requires a team” that confirms that animal health is a collective responsibility, which requires cooperation between veterinarians and workers in various sectors, which requires the concerted national efforts of various sectors to enhance animal health and public health.
He pointed out that the “Waqa” center plays an important role in developing policies and preventive programs, raising the efficiency of animal surveillance and facing epidemic threats to ensure the sustainability of health and food security.
The ceremony witnessed the participation of a number of specialists, in a dialogue session entitled “Animal Health is a common responsibility” that dealt with the most prominent tasks of the ministry in the field of animal health, including the development of policies and regulations and raising the efficiency and sustainability of the sector, as well as limiting the spread of animal diseases.

Food security

The session reviewed the importance of coordination between government and private agencies; To enhance animal health efforts and the role of animal welfare in promoting animal health and safety, in addition to the impact of societal awareness in supporting the Ministry’s efforts to achieve the goals of food security and public health.
Both speakers and participants in the dialogue session honored their active contributions in enriching the discussion on enhancing animal and human health, and their distinguished role in supporting veterinary development efforts in the Kingdom.