Dr. Nneka Hull James, a skilled Veterinary Officer, will be leaving her current position at the end of this month, to take on a new and exciting role as the Animal Health Specialist for the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA).
The CAHFSA is a prominent institution within CARICOM, with a primary focus on supporting, coordinating, and harmonizing good agricultural practices and providing effective mechanisms for animal health, plant health, and food safety throughout the region.
As the new Animal Health Specialist, Dr. Hull James will play a pivotal role in coordinating, facilitating, monitoring, and evaluating national programs across the CARICOM region to ensure harmonization.
Her primary objective will be to work collaboratively with Chief Veterinary Officers from various member states to coordinate efforts and harmonize regional protocols.
Dr. Hull James emphasized that her coordination and harmonization efforts are essential, particularly in cases where there is an outbreak of a particular animal disease. She provided an example of African swine fever and how it broke out among animals in a specific country.
Her role as an Animal Health Specialist is to ensure that measures are taken to prevent the disease from spreading internally and to other countries. This includes setting up safe barriers, preventing the movement of animals from country to country, and preventing the disease from spreading to other countries.
Another critical area of Dr. Hull James’s role will be to address cases where some countries may need to have certain specimens tested but do not have the laboratories to do so.
Through her office, Dr. Hull James can work out arrangements for such testing.
It is important to note that Dr. Hull James is being seconded in the regional post from her substantive position in the ministry of agriculture for a two-year period.
Her vast experience and expertise in the field of veterinary medicine and animal health will undoubtedly be an asset to the CAHFSA and the CARICOM region as a whole.
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