Ministry of Environment and Water organizes 18 training courses for 160 engineers and doctors in Q1 2015

United Arab Emirates, August 27, 2015 – The Ministry of Environment and Water has implemented 18 technical training courses for more than 160 qualified doctors and agronomists in 22 quarries across the country at the start of 2015. The program is in line with the Ministry’s strategic efforts to ensure the prevention of agricultural pests and infectious animal diseases as well as the development of high-quality, efficient and transparent services. This is being done through the rehabilitation of veterinary and quarantine measures to ensure a more streamlined, accelerated and superior approach.

H.E. Sultan Bin Alwan Al Habsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Region sector, Ministry of Environment and Water, stated that the Ministry is actively working towards raising the standards of the agricultural and veterinary quarantine centers by strengthening legislative policies and frameworks. This will ensure a more efficient import, export and re-export procedure for all agricultural and animal consignments, which will maximize UAE’s strategic location and reinforce the country’s position as one of the largest re-export centers in the region. He pointed out that the Ministry is implementing a series of programs and initiatives to improve the quarries’ structural integrity, enhance skills development, and provide the necessary tools to successfully promote environmental sustainability and safeguard against agricultural pests and infectious animal diseases.

H.E. Bin Alwan emphasized that the Ministry is seeking to raise the performance level of quarantine centers, particularly in quarries as well as specialized laboratories. The Ministry has organized 18 specialized training courses which have been implemented over the past seven months. These courses were developed to adequately equip the technical staff of veterinarians and agricultural engineers with the necessary skills to efficiently address the entry of potential epidemiological animal diseases as well as cultivate relevant knowledge to competently evaluate and assess agricultural pests and implement the most fitting solution in cooperation with the concerned government agencies.

H.E. pointed out that the Ministry is on track with regards to following its established development plan for the rehabilitation of agricultural and veterinary quarantine centers across the UAE, which includes seven air outlets, nine nautical outlets, and six ground outlets spread over the emirates. The strategic and supervisory role assigned to the Ministry on the import and export of agriculture, livestock and fishery as well as the efforts in Bio-exclusion & Bio- containment of animal diseases and agricultural pests.

The Assistant Undersecretary added that the training courses will focus on a variety of subjects including the corona virus; collection and analysis of basic agricultural elements: water, soil, fertilizer and plants; diagnosis of infectious diseases in camels, horses, cows, sheep and goats, and plants; narcotic drugs and health and safety for engineers and doctors; as well as the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) program.

These training courses are designed to provide the Ministry’s technical staff of agricultural engineers and veterinary doctors with the essential knowledge and capabilities to examine all animal and agricultural consignments entering the state and ensure that they are free of diseases and pests. This will be done according to the established risk analysis system which is implemented through a virtual laboratory, surveillance, and quarantine series of examinations. H.E. Bin Alwan also added that the Ministry is working to positively impact and contribute to the health and veterinary condition of the international community according to reports issued by international organizations which provide access to the latest developments in scientific research and the best practices in animal health and veterinary quarantine.