Lava Hotel Conference Room, Sogi, Thursday 03rd November 2022
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Father Moeaiseu Raymond Betham, Priest-in-charge, All Saints Anglican Church,
Maiava Fuimaono Tito Asafo, Associate Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries,
Mr. Andrew Piper, Team Leader of PHAMA Plus,
Members of the PHAMA Plus Samoa Market Access Working Group,
Our distinguished pig farmers and pork product importers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to give a few remarks as to the purpose of our important gathering this afternoon. As you may all know, the PHAMA Plus Program has worked with our Government, through our Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, to prepare the nation for a potential invasion of African Swine Fever (or ASF).
There is currently a major global pandemic of ASF. The outbreak is causing mass mortality of pigs, from deaths and culling due to disease and reduced production. It is estimated that there was a reduction in the global pork production of 10 per cent in 2020. The disease is likely to reduce global dietary protein availability.
Currently, there are many countries that are free of ASF, but these countries are under threat. For example, ASF is now in the Pacific with an outbreak in Papua New Guinea. This threat arises from the globalization of economies and the stability of the ASF virus. With on-going movement of people and goods globally, there is a risk of transmission of ASF into Samoa.
National border inspection authorities mainly use risk-based inspection techniques to reduce the chance that ASF will be introduced. There is, therefore, a chance that ASF will spread to Samoa and affect pork production and trade. If ASF became widely established in Samoa before detection, it may be a very hard disease to eradicate. This would be particularly damaging at the moment with the COVID-19 pandemic and the limited resources available to our authorities to deal with the introduction of such a potentially devastating disease.
The African Swine Fever National Action Plan for Samoa brings together all of the most important actions that our country needs to pursue to have a fully integrated approach to ASF. It also explains the context around these actions, as well as recognizes what is already in place or underway, and focuses upon the gaps when setting actions.
In Samoa, the National Action Plan will guide the implementation of nationally agreed risk-based approaches to ASF. It describes the actions and activities that need to be undertaken to enhance national capacity to prevent the introduction of ASF, detect it early and prepare for a response, should it be detected. This approach incorporates the priorities developed to date and allows for revision of these priorities as conditions change.
The work of PHAMA Plus and its consultant advisors, Impact Consulting Group, in supporting the Government of Samoa and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, is greatly appreciated.
I also wish to acknowledge the presence of the PHAMA Plus Team Leader, Mr. Andrew Piper, who has finally managed to visit our shores since his appointment, because of border lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to working with you and PHAMA Plus to progress our other market access initiatives for the benefits of our farmers and national economy. We have a lot we need to do to increase our export efforts and we look forward to your continuous assistance.
To our pig farmers and pork product importers, I know the frustrations you face with our quarantine services when it comes to your development and business related activities. But it is important that we protect our borders from pests and diseases, and we ask for your cooperation to ensure this via compliance to our biosecurity requirements. In short, if the ASF virus comes into our small Pacific Island country, we do not have the resources and capacity to contain it, and it will wipe out our limited pig resources and pork industry; just like the Taro Leaf plight wiped out our taro resources and industry in the early 1990s.
Thank you for your attention and God Bless us all.
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Lau Susuga i le Fa’afeagaiga, lau Susuga Moeaiseu Raymond Betham,
Lau Afioga i le Minisita Lagolago o Fa’atoaga ma Faigafaiva, lau Afioga Maiava Fuimaono Tito Asafo,
Lau Susuga i le Ta’ita’i o le Fa’alapotopotoga o le PHAMA Plus, lau Susuga Andrew Piper,
Le aufailafumanu meatuaolo ma le aufai pisinisi o fefa’atauaiga e aumaia oloa aano fasi meatuaolō i totonu o le tatou atunu’u,
Fa’apea le ma’ave eseese ua ofaga potopoto mai lenei aso
O lea ua uma ona mua mea I Matāutusā e pei o le tala ia Moaula, ma fa’afoi lapalapa o mālō i Foga’a ‘auā le Atua ma lona agalelei. E moni lava o ni lavasiga ma fuafuaga i le tōfā ma se taumafaiga a le Malo ma ana pa’aga fa’ava-o-malo, ao folauga a le sōama, e failā tū i le ama i le pule ale Silisili’ese. Ae fa’afetai o lenei ua a’e ma le m, uao tatou fetaiai i nu’u ao ae le o nu’u po.
Mo le silafia e tou paia ma mamalu, o lo’o galulue va’ava’alua le Malo o Samoa ma le polokalame o le PHAMA Plus, tauala atu lea ile Matagaluega o Fa’atoaga ma Faigafaiva, mo le tapenaina o si o tatou atunu’u ini a’afiaga e ono o’o mai ona o le fa’ama’i mo meatuaol, o le Fiva Aferika po’o le African Swine Fever, o lo’o a’afia ai atina’e meatuaolō i isi atunu’u o le lalolagi.
O le taimi nei o lo’o ua fa’amauina le tulaga maualuga o le a’afiaga o lenei fa’ama’i i le lalolagi atoa. Ua tele ina a’afia ma fa’aitiitia ai le atina’e o meatuaolō, mai le mamate, ma isi ua fa’alaloina ona ua a’afia. I le tausaga e 2020, na fa’amaina ai le paū maulalo o le fuainumera o le atina’e o meatuaolō i le lalolagi, e tusa lea ma le sefulu (10) pasene.
I se vaaiga mamao e tusa ai o lenei fa’ama’i, e ono iai ni a’afiaga i le Soifua mālōlōina o taumafa gaosia mai I nei atina’e.
I le taimi nei, e toatele lava atunu’u ua fa’amauina e le’i o’o iai lenei fa’ama’i, peitai o lo’o iai pea le avanoa e ono a’afia ai a latou atina’e. O se fa’ata’ita’iga, o lenei fa’ama’i ua o’o mai i le Pasefika, ma o lea ua a’afia ai Papua Niu Kini. O nei a’afiaga e afua mai ona o le tulaga fa’aletonu ua iai le tamaoaiga, ma fa’amautuina le iai o lenei vairusi e mafua ai le Fiva Aferika i atina’e meatuaolō. A’o fa’aauau pea femalagaiga ma fefa’atauaiga o oloa i le lalolagi, o lo’o iai fo’i ma le avanoa e ono o’o mai ai lenei fa’ama’i isi o tatou atunu’u o Samoa.
O lo’o fa’agasolo pea galuega asiasi a i latou o lo’o nafa ma le mata’ituina o puipuiga o tuaoi o atunu’u ta’itasi, fa’aaogaina ai le metotia e taua o le risk-based inspection (po’o asiasiga o lo’o fa’atinoina i vaega e ono mafai ona lamatia ai se atunu’u), ina ia tu’uititita ai le avanoa e ono a’afia ai i lenei fa’ama’i o le Fiva Aferika. E ono iai fo’i le avanoa e a’afia ai si o tatou atunu’u o Samoa ma lamatia ai tatou atina’e o meatuaolō fa’apea fefa’atauaiga. Afai ae o’o mai lenei fa’ama’i ma fa’atupulaia lautele i totonu o Samoa, e ono o’o atu i se tulaga faigata tele ona tineia. E sili atu ona tele lona a’afiaga a’o tatou iai i lenei vaitau o le KOVITI-19, fa’atasi ai ma le lē lava o punaoa o lo’o maua e tali atu ai i lenei fa’ama’i matautia.
O le Fuafuaga mo Galuega Fa’atino mo le Fiva Aferika mo Samoa, o lo’o taoaofa’i uma ai galuega taua e mana’omia ona galulue ai si o tatou atunu’u ina ia mafai ona maua se faiga fa’atasi atoatoa e tali atu ai i lenei fa’ama’i.
O lo’o fa’amatalaina ai fo’i gaioiga e tatau ona faia, fa’amauina ai ma vaega ua uma ona fa’atulagaina po’o o lo’o fa’agasolo fo’i, fa’apea ma le taula’i lea i vaega o lo’o mo’omia ai ni fuafuaga mo le fa’atinoina.
Mo Samoa, o lenei Fuafuaga mo Galuega Fa’atino o le a limata’ita’ina ai le fa’atinoina o faiaga fa’atatau i tulaga lamatia ua malilie iai mo lenei fa’ama’i. O lo’o fa’amatalaina ai gaioiga ma galuega fa’atino e mo’omia ona faia ina ia fa’alauteleina ai le silafia o le atunu’u i tulaga o pipuiga, vave ona iloa ma saunia ni vaega e tali atu ai, pe afai ae fa’amauina le o’o mai o lenei fa’ama’i i si o tatou atunu’u. O lenei faiga o lo’o ua ave iai le fa’amuamua e o’o mai ile taimi nei ma o lo’o fa’aauau pea ona iloiloina e fua i tulaga o suiga mai i lea taimi i lea taimi.
E ave lenei avanoa taua e momoli atu ai le fa’afetai ma le fa’amalo e tusa ai o galuega fa’atino a le polokalame o le PHAMA Plus ma o latu konesale faufautua, Fa’apotopotoga Fa’afaufautua (Impact Consulting Group), le lagolago a le Malo o Samoa ma le Matagaluega o Fa’atoaga ma Faigafaiva.
E momoli atu le agaga o le fa’afetai e ala I le auai mai o le susuga i le ta’ita’i o le Polokalame o le PHAMA Plus, le susuga ia Andrew Piper, o lea fa’atoa ia asia mai le tatou atunu’u talu mai le taimi o lana tofiga, ona o vavao sa tapunia ai femalagaiga ina ua o’o mai le fa’amai o le KOVITI-19. O lo’o ua iai fo’i le naunautaiga, o le a tatou galulue faipaaga fa’atasi ma lau susuga fa’ap’a le polokalame o le PHAMA Plus, ina ia alualu i luma ma si’itia avanoa mo maketi aua se manuia o tatou faifa’atoaga, ae le gata i lea o le tamaoaiga o Samoa.
O lo’o telē se manaoga ma ni fuafuaga ua fa’ata’atitiaina ina ia fa’atuputupulaia ai tatou taumafaiga mo oloa e auina atu i fafo, ma o la outou fesoasoani faifaipea o le a mafai ai ona ausia nei fuafuaga uma.
Mo tatou faifa’atoaga o lo’o fa’atinoina atina’e o meatuaolō, ae le gata i lea o i latou o lo’o gafa ma le fa’atauina mai o oloa gaosia mai i nei atina’e, ou te iloa lo outou atugaluga ona o tulaga o auaunaga fa’atino a le Vaega Fa’aasu ma Puipuiga Lautele (po’o le quarantine), i le fa’atinoina o a outou pisinisi ma atina’e. Peita’i, e tatau lava ona tatou fa’ataua fo’i le malu puipuia o le si’osi’omaga o si o tatou atunu’u mai i iniseti fa’alafua ma fa’ama’i eseese, ma e talosagaina ai le tatou galulue fa’atasi e ala lea i le tatou mulimulitaia pea o faiga fa’avae ma tulafono o lo’o ua limata’ita’iina ai taumafaiga mo le malupuipuia o se atunu’u (po’o le biosecurity). Mo le silafia, afai ae o’o mai le vairusi o le Fiva Aferika i o tatou laufanua, e le gafatia e tatou punaoa po’o alagaoa ma lo tatou malosi ona taofiofiina lenei vairasi mai le pepesi, ma o le a ono a’afia ai alamanuia ma ono fa’atamaia ai tatou atina’e meatuaolō, e pei o le a’afiaga sa iai tatou fa’atoaga talo i le tausaga 1993/94, ona o le fa’ama’i o le lega lea sa fa’atamaiaina ai.
Ia fa’amanuia le Atua ia te outou uma.
Fa’afetai lava.
