Improving Livestock Trade and Human Livelihoods in Africa

In many parts of Africa, livestock are not only a source of food, but also an underutilized trading commodity. Working with international and regional agencies, Africa-based researchers from Feinstein International Center (FIC) at Tufts University address policies and practices to improve animal health and trade in local communities, including constraints around the export of livestock and livestock products. Andrew Catley, PhD, a research director at FIC, contributed to a "Viewpoint" article in the July 8th issue of The Veterinary Record that highlights the need for a trustworthy and viable process to certify the status of livestock commodities as a means to encourage safe export trade. An earlier paper by Catley and colleagues addresses the underlying issue of improving health care services for livestock, a challenge in parts of Africa where a dearth of veterinary services hinders efforts.

"Increasing international trade of livestock is a potentially useful poverty reduction strategy for developing regions, particularly Africa, but there are many obstacles that hinder that trade," says Catley. The authors of the Veterinary Record Viewpoint, including lead author G.R. Thomson, emphasize the need for an independent source of certification based on improved international standards to benefit livestock farmers in Africa.

"Under the current World Trade Organization standards that govern international trade of animals and animal products, trade from developing regions to countries like the United States and European nations is hindered because of concerns about government veterinary services in developing countries.

These services are often weak and in some countries, are affected by high levels of corruption, yet they're responsible for issuing international health certificates for livestock exports," explains Catley. Importing countries "need verification that there is minimal risk of infectious disease agents that threaten human health or the welfare of livestock populations," he continues.

The authors propose that independent certification bodies be used to foster verifiable documentation and assure importing countries that traded livestock commodities meet acceptable levels of risk with regards to disease transmission. Catley elaborates on the proposal, saying that "fair and reasonable standards need to be created. These standards should be ones that can actually be implemented, and the certification processes need to be trustworthy for both importing and exporting countries."

In an IDS Bulletin paper, entitled "Communities, Commodities and Crazy Ideas: Changing Livestock Policies in Africa," Catley, along with Yacob Aklilu, an agricultural economist at FIC, and colleagues reviewed experiences from the Community-based Animal Health and Participatory Epidemiology (CAPE) Project. The African Union/InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU/IBAR) established the CAPE Project in 2000 supported by FIC, to create policies and legislation to enhance animal health care in pastoral areas in East Africa. One key issue addressed local concerns about formalizing community-based animal health workers (CAHWs), people who are trained to assist with animal health care in rural areas in Africa where few veterinarians are willing to work.