National authorities have signalled the need to strengthen surveillance, emergency and monitoring programmes for critical animal and plant diseases. These include the Foot-and-Mouth disease (FMD) which has significantly compromised development of livestock industries in infected countries, resulting in widespread international trade restrictions. While T&T is FMD-free and seeks to maintain this status; for the local coconut industry, lethal yellowing is a major threat to the already struggling fresh water and copra industry. In addition, the need for a TT-GAP standard was identified to build and assure food safety and quality for primary production of fresh produce by farmers. These and other challenges and emergencies can generate profound impacts on agricultural and economic development through trade. As such, T&T requires more targeted investments to strengthen technical and institutional capacities and border controls to combat these threats. To ensure that IICA remains engaged to support implementation of these interventions, identified gaps will be used to enhance T&Ts contingency plan and inform a national action plan to improve preparedness and response capacity for the prevention and control of zoonotic and plant health threats and improvement in food safety and general public health. Agricultural producers themselves also have a stake in ensuring the success of surveillance programs and in applying available knowledge to increase productivity and address health problems in an integrated manner.

To strengthen national AHFS systems and capacities to manage threats to agricultural health and food safety significance through policy and regulatory support, information and knowledge transfer and representation at regional and international forums.