Press release
Department leading One Health surveillance research project to address European cross-border pathogens
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue today announced Ireland’s participation in and coordination of an all-island research initiative focussed on setting up a coordinated surveillance system utilising the One Health approach for cross-border pathogens that threaten the island and the European Union.
Minister McConalogue commented that
‘’representatives from my Department joined delegates from other research institutions on the island on June 13th to officially launch the Direct Action project One Health: All Ireland for European Surveillance (OH-ALLIES).’’
The Minister added that
“Recent international health emergencies such as the Covid 19 pandemic, and continued threats of other zoonotic diseases, demonstrate the need for a resilient health system and the value of a One Health approach across the island of Ireland – OH-ALLIES aims to develop a framework that will support a sustainable long-term multi-disciplinary approach to One Health surveillance.”
Minister of State with responsibility for research, Martin Heydon stated:
“My Department is responsible for overall co-ordination of the project at national and European level, and will oversee the distribution of €1 million in funding for the collaborative research. This work will be carried out by a wide-ranging collaborative team at University College Dublin, University of Galway and at the Department’s National Veterinary laboratory, with input from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, The Health Protection and Surveillance Centre, the Irish Equine Centre, and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute in Northern Ireland.”
OH-ALLIES is funded under the EU4Health programme which places a strong focus on translating innovative One Health research into practice on the ground. The One Health approach is extremely important in terms of public health, sustainable food production and ecological integrity. The overall level of funding underscores the priority given to strengthening monitoring for cross-border pathogens by the European Union.
Minister McConalogue concluded that
“this collaborative research relates to the strategic risk identified in the National Risk Assessment with regard to pandemic preparedness and will provide important knowledge at an all-island level to achieve sustainable and effective surveillance systems for pathogens that threaten us all.”
ENDS