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AgVetLink February 2003

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Conferences and meetings

ANZCCART Conference 2002

The Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART) annual conference was held in Brisbane in October. The conference theme was 'Animal Welfare and Animal Ethics Committees: Where Are the Goalposts Now?'. Not surprisingly, there was a focus on topical issues such as genetically modified organisms, speciesism and the daily difficulties faced by Animal Ethics Committees (AECs) when attempting to find the delicate balance between scientific progress and animal welfare.

New Zealand was well represented with excellent presentations from Kate Hellstrom (MAF Animal Welfare) and John Schofield (University of Otago). New Zealand delegates were active participants in the various workshops and displayed an admirable knowledge about, and willingness to protect, the welfare of animals used in research and teaching establishments. It was evident from discussions regarding the way in which Animal Ethics Committees are audited in New Zealand compared to New South Wales that New Zealand compares favourably to the Australian situation.

ANZCCART is to be congratulated on the organisation of such a varied and lively conference. Despite attendance from a large cross-section of the community including scientists, AEC members, government regulators and members of the public, the conference delivered something of interest to all participants.

NZ Plant Protection Conference

Assessors Sarah Lester and Warren Tully attended the NZ Plant Protection Conference recently held in Rotorua. This annual conference brings together researchers, agrichemical company representatives, regulators and various industry sectors to hear and discuss papers presented on plant protection matters.

A symposium addressing the role of science in biosecurity was held on the first day, and animated discussion ensued. This theme continued throughout the conference. Other topics covered included:

• forestry
• grassland weeds
• horticultural entomology and pathology
• application technology
• entomology and pathology in vegetables
• arable and horticultural weeds
• arable entomology and pathology
• pasture entomology
• storage pests.

The conference had a large attendance and gave ACVM Group attendees the opportunity to talk with other delegates on a range of issues.

Food and Dietary Risk Assessment Conference

Assessor Warren Hughes attended the 1 st International Fresenius Conference on Food Safety and Dietary Risk Assessment held in Mainz, Germany, 5 - 6 December 2002. The conference provided an opportunity to learn how food safety, particularly pesticide residues, are handled in Europe and to learn more about the use of probabilistic modelling in dietary intake risk assessments.

In addition to attending this conference, Warren visited the Pesticide Safety Directorate in York, United Kingdom, and Bayer Cropscience in Monheim, Germany. The visit to the former provided the opportunity to meet key personnel and discuss in some detail the regulatory system in the United Kingdom, including the linkages to the EU system. The visit to Bayer Cropscience provided insight in operations of a major R&D agrochemical company and to advise on changes occurring in the New Zealand regulatory system.

Agcarm Crop Protection Meeting

ACVM Group Director Debbie Morris attended the recent Agcarm Crop Protection meeting in Auckland to discuss ACVM Act related matters. Key topics of discussion were the revision of the Chemistry and Manufacturing standards (Agcarm members have provided some excellent material in their submissions) and the issue of requiring expiry dates on registered products. The ACVM Group is developing an operational policy in this area – watch AgVetLink for further details.