A partnership brings together French and Algerian veterinary services

  The French Ministry of Agriculture is strengthening ties with its Algerian counterpart through a partnership between the two countries’ veterinary services and veterinary laboratories. The goal is to improve food safety for animal-derived products.   On the French side, the organizations leading this initiative are France Vétérinaire International (FVI) and Assistance for the Development of Trade in Economic and Financial Technologies (Adetef).   The partnership with the Algerian Directorate of Veterinary Services is funded to the tune of €1,492,000 over two years. The project is expected to provide 650 man-days of expertise, involving 85 experts. The primary objective is to promote the marketing of products of animal origin, both on the Algerian domestic market and for export (to the European Union and worldwide). To this end, the Algerian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development aims to strengthen veterinary services so that the reliability of their inspections meets the quality standards (ISO/IEC 17020) recommended by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). WOAH Director General Bernard Vallat has made the quality of these inspections a priority for ensuring the safety of food products in the global marketplace.   [caption id="attachment_3417" align="alignright" width="138"] Premises of the National Institute of Veterinary Medicine in El Harrach, Algeria[/caption] Similarly, the twinning partnership with Algeria’s National Institute of Veterinary Medicine (INMV)—with a grant totaling 1,450,000 € (550 person-days, including 48 experts)—is intended to provide technical, scientific, and logistical support for veterinary inspections. This public administrative institution (EPA) is affiliated with the Algerian ministry. By the end of these two years, the partnership is expected to have achieved several objectives.

• National standards and regulations harmonized with EU regulations;
• An organizational chart for veterinary services supplemented by the introduction of cross-functional roles and a quality system compliant with the ISO/IEC 17020 standard;
• Strengthened and digitized veterinary controls to bring them up to European standards, particularly in the areas of animal identification and residue monitoring plans for food;
• Preparations for the implementation of a veterinary services information system;
• The implementation of a quality management system (QMS) in accordance with the ISO/IEC 17025 standard at two regional INMV laboratories in Constantine and Tlemcen, and the improvement of the QMS at the central veterinary laboratory in Algiers;
• The implementation of a biological risk management system in INMV laboratories;
• Strengthening virological and molecular diagnostics;
• The implementation of toxicological analyses and the strengthening of physicochemical analyses.

  This partnership is part of a broader framework: the Algerian government’s Agricultural and Rural Renewal Policy (PRAR), which aims to revitalize rural areas. One key component addresses climate change and water management, while another focuses on “food security.”   Algerian Minister Abdelouahab Nouri had the opportunity to discuss this agricultural cooperation with his French counterpart, Stéphane Le Foll, from February 20 to 22, 2015. This cooperation was formalized through the signing of an agreement between the two countries on December 19, 2012, in Algiers. The Franco-Algerian Joint Agricultural Committee focuses in particular on the development of the dairy sector, the structuring of the cattle sector, and veterinary training. Support for livestock farmers is provided through a program involving 10,000 livestock units, meaning the establishment of family-run operations to benefit 9,800 project leaders. The beekeeping and sheep sectors were the most popular.