Pacific Northwest Economic Region Annual Conference

Animal Health Canada attended a portion of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) Annual Summit held in Whistler BC, July 21-25, specifically the session dedicated to a foreign animal disease tabletop simulation.

SES Consulting Inc facilitated the two-day session, with day one focused on an unidentified disease in dairy cattle in Washington state, including international cross-border disease spread into Canada. The scenario for day two was an foot-and-mouth disease detection in British Columbia also including international cross-border spread.

Players included federal officials from Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provincial and state government veterinarians, emergency management departments, wildlife experts, national, provincial and state livestock associations.

The scenarios were presented through a series of modules and injects taking players through expanding livestock disease outbreaks allowing discussion on foreign animal disease response plans, regional communication and coordination, and resource sharing relative to an international cross-border disease outbreak in the states and provinces that are members of PNWER. The building of the scenarios and logistics of the event were in planning with SES and a team for more than a year. SES Consulting Inc. will be drafting an after-action report in the coming weeks.