Coordination Agreement on Ag Issues Signed

March 16, 2007 - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and Director-General Jacques Diouf of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) this week signed a Framework Agreement to coordinate technical assistance between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the FAO. The agreement will help to address issues important to agriculture, such as chronic hunger, plant and animal diseases including avian influenza, conservation, genetic resources and the growing demand for renewable energy resources.

"This agreement will facilitate greater international coordination and collaboration on a broad range of agricultural issues and help to protect our agricultural systems," said Johanns. "I believe the benefits will be immediate by enhancing the worldwide response to highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza."

The Framework Agreement was approved last fall and formally signed today. Under the agreement, a Crisis Management Center was formed, operated by the FAO in close collaboration with the World Organization for Animal Health and located in Rome. It provides animal disease analysis and deploys international resources to prevent and contain animal diseases. The center is currently focused on highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, which continues to spread in parts of the world. Three USDA specialists are currently assigned to the center.

Johanns also provided an update on USDA's efforts to prepare for and protect the United States from highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza. USDA has focused its efforts on four key areas: international efforts, wild bird monitoring, domestic poultry monitoring and avian influenza research.

For more information about the collaborative avian influenza efforts, go to the U.S. government's Web site for avian influenza and human pandemic preparedness at www.avianflu.gov.

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