This evidence-based Regional Agricultural Health and Food Safety Policy and Action Plan provides CARIFORUM decision makers with an insight into the key systemic challenges to national and regional human, plant, animal, veterinary, public and environmental health, as well as appropriate mechanisms and technically valid, appropriate measures driven by data collection systems to address these challenges.

The Policy and Action Plan was developed prepared by Quintreece Limited (United Kingdom). This contribution to Strengthening the Agricultural Health and Food Safety Policy Framework in the Caribbean was funded by the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Support to CARIFORUM States in furthering the implementation of their Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) commitments and in meaningfully reaping the benefits of the Agreement.

This Policy and Action Plan is focussed on strengthening the robust foundation and framework for sustainable, effective and efficient Regional Agricultural Health and Food Safety (AHFS) mechanisms. It aims to enhance the efficacy of the AHFS system by identifying priority challenges along the entire food chain and the actions that address them in an integrated and comprehensive way. Cooperation and coordination of AHFS measures and actions are essential, at the regional level on issues most appropriately addressed regionally, and at the national level through the provision of support to member state authorities in dealing with challenges. The agreed actions will contribute to the achievement of the appropriate level of protection (ALOP) of human, plant, animal, veterinary, public and environmental health as well as the optimum facilitation of intra-regional and international agri-food trade.

Considerable effort has been expended and progress achieved in modernising and aligning Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) regulation across the region with international trade obligations and with systems and norms of key trading partners. The safe and sustainable economic development of the region necessitates the inclusion of human, animal, plant and environmental health protection as an integral part of the regional agri-food policy.

While the policy is ambitious, it is targeted and practical to ensure that it is realistic in its objectives and that it takes into consideration the current challenging situation and available resources. The attached Action Plan sets out the concrete measures to achieve those goals over a four-year period and is a vital component of the ongoing long-term phased strategic process.