Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
The present and future organisation of Veterinary Services in Asia: the examples of the Republic of Korea and Japan.
- Journal:
- Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics)
- Year:
- 2003
- Authors:
- Ozawa, Y et al.
- Affiliation:
- OIE Honorary Advisor · Japan
Plain-English summary
In the Republic of Korea and Japan, the Veterinary Services are working hard to meet the growing needs of animal health and safety. Both countries have limited government staff but are looking to improve their services, especially in light of challenges like foot and mouth disease and hog cholera. Korea is considering merging its veterinary and plant quarantine services to strengthen its response to these issues. Meanwhile, Japan has a more divided approach, with different ministries handling animal health and food safety. After a serious health scare with mad cow disease in 2001, Japan is reorganizing its veterinary services to focus more on food safety, which includes creating a new Food Safety Commission to manage risks related to food products.
Abstract
The Veterinary Services of the Republic of Korea and Japan are reviewed and summarised. To cope with ever-increasing demands on Veterinary Services, both countries have made continued efforts to expand the services, which currently only have a limited number of government personnel. To overcome some of the problems associated with international trade, e.g. outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and classical swine fever (hog cholera), the authorities of the Republic of Korea are considering strengthening quarantine services by combining the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service and the National Plant Quarantine Service of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF). In the field of veterinary public health services, the Republic of Korea and Japan have different organisational structures. All Veterinary Services, including veterinary public health, are kept within the MAF in the Republic of Korea, whereas in Japan, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) deals with general animal production and health services and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) deals with the safety of animal products, food poisoning and the prevention/control of zoonoses, such as rabies and Q fever. In Japan, after the occurrence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in 2001, the authorities undertook a thorough review of the Veterinary Services, focusing particularly on food safety. A reorganisation of the administrative structure was proposed, and will be completed by the end of 2003. Subject to the approval of the Diet (House of Councillors), an independent 'Food Safety Commission' will be created within the cabinet office which will undertake risk analyses related to foods, and risk management will be carried out by the relevant ministry, i.e. the MAFF or the MHLW. The Animal Health Division of the MAFF will also be moved from the Livestock Industry Department to a new 'Consumer Safety Department' of the MAFF, where additional responsibilities in fish health control and feed safety control will be assumed.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15884585/