The Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment “BIOR” hosted a meeting of directors from Nordic-Baltic food and veterinary safety institutes on May 24-25

The meeting was attended by heads of institutions from Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Iceland, Denmark, Lithuania and Norway. During the meeting each country presented their institutional development plans: Institutional development and challenges, Surveillance and monitoring programmes, Preparedness activities, Diagnostic services, Research and development activities. The main issues in science and research were also discussed. Participants of the meeting got acquainted with the institute’s  laboratory infrastructure and the latest laboratory equipment that is capable of providing high-level diagnostic and research processes.

Aivars Bērziņš, the director of the “BIOR”, emphasized that such professional and business meetings are very useful and necessary. During the meeting the main attention was focused on the problems of the spread of African swine fever, Avian influenza and Rabies. Common goal was the exchange of ideas and look for solutions how to restrict infection diseases. 

Cooperation among the Nordic and Baltic countries is much more active, more targeted compared to other European regions. The director of the “BIOR” emphasized that good neighbourly relations and the mutual exchange of information are very important, as it should be never forgotten that diseases have no borders.