Reflections as Chair of Animal Health Committee

As the Australian CVO, I am a member of Animal Health Committee (AHC), and this year privileged to also take on the role of committee Chair. AHC brings together Chief Veterinary Officers from across Australia, and colleagues from key partner organisations, to deliver strategic policy, technical and regulatory advice. I’d like to share insights into my experience as Chair of AHC and thoughts for the future.

My appointment to the role has come at a time of great instability within the animal health sphere due to ongoing global polycrises (the simultaneous occurrence of several catastrophic events). While Australia has maintained its favourable animal health status, the global landscape has changed dramatically in recent years, with concurrent outbreaks and spread of diseases such as African swine fever, lumpy skin disease and high pathogenicity avian influenza. These are also superimposed with other emergency events – including weather emergencies and human health emergencies. Drivers for the emergence and spread of animal diseases are complex, but human behaviour, an increasingly connected world, climatic factors and anthropogenic changes to ecosystems are important factors. In the face of this instability, Australia’s animal health status is more important than ever before for the sustainability of our agricultural production systems and our food security.

^{Figure 1: Flowchart of AHC membership and interaction with other committees.}

The role of AHC is to provide advice on animal health related matters to the National Biosecurity Committee (NBC). Committee groups for plant, marine pest, and environment and invasive species have similar functions. Each committee reports to the overarching NBC which is responsible for managing national approaches to biosecurity threats, and the potential impacts these could have on agricultural production, the environment, and community well-being. Therefore, the role that AHC provides in maintaining and improving Australia’s animal health system is imperative.

To maintain this status, we must continue to evolve and stay ahead of the game. Biosecurity is a dynamic issue that cannot be addressed with a single, fixed solution.

I believe that Australia is well placed to ensure future preparedness for emerging and emergency animal diseases through continued investment in One Health initiatives, expansion of partnerships with our livestock industries, the veterinary profession as well as the research sectors and our international counterparts. In an increasingly connected world, it is crucial that we strive to learn from others, strategically lead conversations around animal biosecurity and contribute to managing animal health globally. We must also dedicate resources to building resilience against emergency animal diseases during ‘peace time’. Horizon scanning for emerging trends and strategic foresight techniques are proving versatile in One Health space and have great promise in guiding Australia’s disease preparedness and response activities.

Priorities going forward

The work of the AHC is ongoing and evolves with the animal health concerns of the day. The priorities for this year include supporting emergency animal disease (EAD) preparedness such as the lumpy skin disease action plan and joint interagency EAD taskforce actions. Committee members participated in the emergency animal disease response agreement (EADRA) 5-year review and continue to progress national policy such as engagement of private veterinarians in emergency responses and point-of-care testing. The AHC also continues to contribute to the management of EADs in Australia, by managing animal biosecurity risks and providing national leadership.

Australia’s new Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer

^{Image: Dr Sam Hamilton, Australia's new Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer}

It is a pleasure to welcome Australia’s new Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Sam Hamilton, to the position. Sam has been acting in the role of Deputy CVO since March. After a competitive selection process, Sam was permanently appointed to the role in August. Sam is an accomplished veterinarian with extensive experience in leading multidisciplinary teams to address complex policy challenges, particularly in the areas of One Health, animal disease preparedness and response, and animal biosecurity.

Sam has designed and delivered national and international capacity-building programs and played a key role in shaping policies to safeguard Australian agriculture and protect against biosecurity threats. With a strong background in epidemiology and emergency management, he has consistently demonstrated his ability to engage stakeholders and negotiate solutions to complex issues.

Sam's leadership roles in various government departments have included overseeing significant biosecurity programs, responding to international health emergencies, and contributing to Australia's preparedness for exotic animal diseases. He has a PhD in veterinary epidemiology from the University of Sydney and an Executive Master of Public Administration.

For the latest updates on the work of the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer, please follow the social media channels of the Australian Chief Veterinary Officer on Twitter/X and LinkedIn