PACE Manual Procedures.

Animal health is a prior condition for the development of livestock farming and the rural world inAfrica where, despite meat imports in particular, the population does not get proper amounts ofanimal protein. Animal diseases are one of the main reasons for this shortage because of theirdirect effects on livestock — mortality, drops in production etc. In addition the current situation ofhealth insecurity discourages investment in the sector.Epizootics as a constraint to trade in animal products.The Pan-African Rinderpest Campaign (PARC) has been co-financed by the EuropeanCommunity (EC) since 1986. It has already done a great deal to improve animal health securityby combating rinderpest, one of the most devastating contagious diseases of cattle. PARC'spositive results, confirmed by an independent evaluation in 1996/97, offer a firm basis foreradicating rinderpest and controlling other major diseases.The idea behind the PACE Programme is to build on the headway made in the campaign againstrinderpest in order to establish lower-cost national and continental epidemiological surveillancenetworks for the main animal diseases, provide the countries with the capacities needed toorganise economically and technically justified control programmes and develop effective andsustainable distribution of veterinary products and services.The five-year PACE programme will cover 32 sub-Saharan African countries. It will becoordinated by the Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (IBAR) of the Organisation ofAfrican Unity (OAU). A participatory approach will be adopted so that livestock farmers andanimal health professionals will be involved in implementing the programme. All animal productconsumers will benefit from the PACE Programme, as well as the national economies of theparticipating countries.The programme will include national operations planned and implemented in each country andalso sub-regional and regional support and coordinatica components. By creating an appropriatehealth security framework, the PACE programme will remove one of the major constraints on thedevelopment of the livestock fanning sector. It will thus help to improve farmers' incomes andpeople's general living conditions. Other programmes can be developed to back up theseactivities, for example in support of the necessary increases in animal productivity.Its financial return will be at least 19% in 10 years and the transfer of technical capacity on theground will ensure that its effects are sustainable. The total cost of the programme is EUR 72million, some 74% for the national components and 26% for services common to the variouscountries (regional component), including contingencies. It will last for five years.