1. VETERINARIANS AND WORLD RESILIENCE
Page 1 of 4
THE EXPERIENCE OF ONE LITTLE COUNTRY SHOWS
THE IMPORTANCE OF VETERINARIANS IN THE
“ONE HEALTH” APPROACH TO THE GOAL OF
WORLD RESILIENCE
June, 2015
Dr. Hugo Estavillo, DMV
Veterinary Doctor
Address: Orinoco Street 5164, C.P. 11400, Web:
Montevideo, Uruguay www.bpg.uy
Phone: (598) 26194213 www.trazur.com.uy
Mobile: (598) 98944428
Skype: drestavillo
E-mail box: he@trazur.com.uy
he@bpg.uy

2. VETERINARIANS AND WORLD RESILIENCE
Page 2 of 4
THE EXPERIENCE OF ONE LITTLE COUNTRY SHOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF
VETERINARIANS IN THE “ONE HEALTH” APPROACH TO THE GOAL OF WORLD
RESILIENCE
“It is estimated that the majority of all new, emerging and re-emerging diseases affecting
humans at the beginning of the twenty-first century have originated from animals.
Humans are at increased risk of contracting diseases of animal origin because of a wide range
of interconnected variables, including mass urbanization, large-scale livestock production,
increased travel and so on.” (OIE)
“In addition, new threats related to climate change, food safety and chemical hazards pose a
complex set of challenges involving human, animal and environmental health. The One
Health approach thus promotes cooperation and coordination for disease surveillance,
outbreak investigation and response activities undertaken by professionals from various fields.”
(OIE)
There is no doubt that today food security and safety, biosecurity, biodiversity and
environmental care are, or should be, one of the most important subjects for all inhabitants of
the planet.
Uruguay understood this long ago. In 2006, the country developed an individual livestock
traceability system that was mandatory, initially for only the bovine population.
The system consists of:
 Double identification of each animal: an
electronic ear tag, carrying a unique number, that
is attached to the right ear, and a visual ear tag,
showing the same number, that is attached to the
left ear
 A strong database, managed by the
government
I close my eyes and I see Uruguay, with its 176,215 square km, as the tip of the iceberg of a
Latin America, with its 21,069,501 square km, that has the potential to become the world’s
supermarket. It offers a wide variety of meats, produced naturally, without the addition of
animal meal, hormones or antibiotics, by breeding animals that are “eating green pastures and
drinking clear waters."
For now it is only a dream, but I hope that Latin American politicians soon will come to realize
that a united Latin America has great potential in that it is the only continent that can produce
almost all the food that humanity needs.

3. VETERINARIANS AND WORLD RESILIENCE
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Issues such as globalization, climate change,
and the exponential increase of food
demand in Asia are being addressed, but we
also must analyze two other important
points:
 exponential growth of the world
population
 decrease of world agricultural land
Uruguay is succeeding with its traceability
program and its focus on animal health, but
it must continue to improve in a cycle of
"Plan, Do, Check and Act."
As for Latin America in general, it is working to implement traceability
in its herds - Central America is running an agency, “OIRSA,” which is
dedicated to supporting all countries in the implementation of
traceability.
So, something important is happening. When countries develop tools
such as traceability, they obviously have a goal in mind. In some
cases, it may concern only their own inhabitants, if they produce solely for their domestic
market, but in others, the focus is on world markets.
As I stated above, there is no doubt that "food" is, or should be, one of the main concerns of
all humanity, which is why it is included as one of the issues of the “One Health” approach.
“On this way, Veterinarians are responsible to implement animal health to assure the health
and wellbeing of animals, people and ecosystems, which includes both public and private
components of the veterinary profession involved in the promotion of animal and public health
as well as animal welfare.” (OIE)
Veterinarians approach medicine from a holistic perspective, which supports public health
(One Health), and makes a huge impact on people's well-being, as well as on environmental
sustainability.
Animal traceability is one of the main tools utilized in the “One Health” approach, and it seems
to be yet one more responsibility for veterinarians.
The “Terrestrial Animal Health Code” (OIE) states that “Animal identification and animal
traceability should be under the responsibility of the Veterinary Authority. It is recognized that
other authorities may have jurisdiction over other aspects of the food chain, including the
traceability of food.”
This is another example of veterinarians’ relevance in managing the “One Health” effort, with
the collaboration of multiple disciplines, working locally, nationally, and globally, to address
critical challenges and attain optimal health for people, animals, and the environment.

4. VETERINARIANS AND WORLD RESILIENCE
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REFERENCES
 WHO-OIE-WORLD BANK (2014) “WHO-OIE Operational Framework for Good
Governance at the Human-Animal interface: Bridging WHO and OIE tools for the
assessment of national capacities”
http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/fr/Media_Center/docs/pdf/WHO_OIE_Operation
al_Framework_Final2.pdf
 OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (2014)
http://www.oie.int/en/international-standard-setting/terrestrial-code/access-online/
 MGAP and IICA (2009) “Uruguay’s Experience in Beef Cattle Traceability. Montevideo,
Uruguay Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fishery (MGAP) and National Meat
Institute (INAC), Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)”.
http://www.inac.gub.uy/innovaportal/file/6323/1/libro_trazabilidad_ingles.pdf
 Rius, Andrés (2015) “Mandatory Livestock Traceability as a Catalyst for Knowledge
Intensive Services in Uruguay”
http://publications.iadb.org/handle/11319/6953