Mission, Mandates and Objectives
The Équipe quebecoise de santé porcine (EQSP) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to work, in concert with government authorities and stakeholders in the pork industry, to prevent, plan and intervene against targeted swine diseases in order to minimize their potential impacts on the entire Quebec sector.
The mandate and objectives of the organization are as follows:
- Minimize the economic and human impact of targeted swine diseases on producers and partners in the pork industry and other agriculture-related sectors in the case of notifiable swine diseases;
- Ensure the rapid and effective implementation and sustainability of the emergency measures plan for the Quebec pork industry;
- Harmonize the operation and actions of the EQSP with government authorities and other stakeholders in the pork sector regarding notifiable diseases and other targeted swine diseases;
- Serve as a unified voice for industry in dealing with government authorities on issues related to swine health emergencies and other targeted responses, as appropriate; and
- Raise awareness among sector stakeholders of the EQSP’s emergency measures plan and the biosecurity or other measures to be put in place to prevent the incursion and spread of targeted swine diseases in Quebec.
- Specifically, developing, maintaining and implementing:
- a contingency plan for notifiable swine diseases and any emerging diseases leading to a crisis situation;
- control programs and/or intervention protocols for specific targeted diseases such as PED, PVCD and VAS;
- tools and activities for information, training, awareness-raising, prevention and intervention against targeted diseases.
- Coordinate the development and implementation of a provincial strategy aimed at generally improving the health status of Quebec pig herds, with a view to better responding to evolving market concerns and improving the competitiveness of the pig industry.