On May 14-16, 2018 the director of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Dr. of Vet. Sc., Professor, Associate Member of the NAAS Serhiy Nychyk attended the conference of the European Parliament “European Perspectives for Ukraine: on the ground experience” in Brussels, Belgium.
In addition to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), Ukrainian speakers were invited to the conference: Michel Terestchenko – descendant of the prominent Terestchenko family, mayor of Hlukhiv (Northern Ukraine); Olena Terestchenko – social activist, Member of Kyiv City Council of 7th convocation; Andrii Antonyshchak – Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, Coordinator of the 1st battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine; Yevgen Shevchenko – veteran of ‘Donbas’ Battalion, agent of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. MEP RužaTomašić (ECR) and MEP Ivica Tolić (EPP) were hosting this conference and showed the greatest interest to the event.
Serhiy Nychyk presented a talk on “The state of veterinary surveillance in Ukraine and ways of its reforming”, where he has noted that the priority directions of cooperation were the harmonization of the legislative base of Ukraine and the EU in the field of biosecurity, biosafety and animal health protection; establishment of reference laboratories on the basis of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of the NAAS for the development of scientifically grounded measures of pathogens control, in-depth study of those pathogens, analysis and prediction of disease outbreaks. “The most important element of efficiency is the complete independence of the reference laboratories from the impact of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumers Protection (SSUFSCP)”, Serhiy Nychyk stressed.
The number of cattle and pigs decreased significantly, reaching a historic low level in the last 12 years. On this background the number of outbreaks of especially dangerous emergent, re-emergent and economically significant infections of animals continues to increase. The government of Ukraine faces the task to introduce an updated policy in the field of veterinary medicine, biosecurity and biosafety, which should be aimed at minimizing the negative consequences of the spread of infectious diseases dangerous for both animals and humans and based on the experience and legislative framework of the European Union (EU).
Today, the diseases such as African swine fever, rabies, leptospirosis have been eventually spread within Ukraine and have become a national challenge, which requires implementation of comprehensive disease control strategies and policies as well as an effective prevention and surveillance strategy and support from the European community. “Ukraine continues reforms for successful European integration and is open to cooperation with leading EU experts and ready to adopt the European best practices for protecting animal and human health. In this regard, I urge the relevant European institutions and institutions in the field of veterinary medicine and animal and public health to closer cooperation and open partnership dialogue in the development of an effective approaches for improving the epizootic situation in Ukraine”, Serhiy Nychyk said.
After the conference additional meetings were held with the MEPs on effective pressure on government agencies in Ukraine to establish independent reference laboratories as the key factor in controlling and forecasting the epizootic state of the country, and targeted EU assistance as well, including the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of the NAAS.
With a Member of Parliament of the Verkhovna Rada Andrii Antonyshchak and MEPs and vice president of an informal group in the European Parliament “European Friends of Ukraine” Mr. Petras Auštrevičius
With the former prime minister of Belgium, head of the ALDE group in the European Parliament Mr. Guy Verhofstadt
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