26/02/2019 2 min

ANSES and CIRAD strengthen their scientific cooperation dedicated to "One Health"

At the Paris International Agricultural Show today, Roger Genet, Director General of ANSES, and Michel Eddi, President Managing Director of CIRAD, signed a five-year framework partnership agreement. The two organisations are thus strengthening their numerous existing collaborations to improve knowledge of pathogens and pests and their vectors in the fields of animal health, plant health and food.

In view of the synergies in their missions, ANSES and CIRAD have a long history of developing numerous partnerships, mainly through joint research projects and collaborative expert appraisals in the fields of plant and animal health. In a context where all stakeholders are making major efforts to develop sustainable production and food models, ANSES and CIRAD have decided to further combine their scientific expertise in areas of key importance to health.

The framework partnership agreement signed today will enable them to pool their research and expert appraisal activities in order to better understand, identify and monitor hazards affecting animal health, plant health and food.

This partnership will be implemented through numerous collaborative projects with the following objectives:

  • characterise pathogens and pests (pathogenicity, virulence, resistance, species barrier, toxinogenicity, etc.);
  • develop methods for their monitoring and epidemiological surveillance;
  • work together on international health monitoring within national epidemiological surveillance platforms for animal and plant health;
  • develop knowledge and tools for identifying and characterising vectors and pests (transmission, resistance, etc.) affecting animal, plant and human health, and for their surveillance;
  • contribute to work and initiatives to reduce the use of antibiotics in livestock farming;
  • preserve diversity and develop biological resources.

The partnership between CIRAD and ANSES will primarily lead to joint studies and expert appraisals, co-funding of theses, management of research projects, exchange of best practices, joint work to define reference and surveillance methodologies, and the production and provision of data and biological materials.

These different areas of cooperation reflect their joint commitment to sustainable agriculture and health systems, for the benefit of "One Health", at the interface between humans, animals and ecosystems.

About CIRAD 

CIRAD is the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, working for the sustainable development of tropical and Mediterranean regions. It works with its partners in developing countries and in the French overseas territories to generate and pass on new knowledge to support agricultural development. Through its research and training activities, it helps resolve issues at the heart of major global challenges: climate change, agro-ecological transition, preservation of biodiversity and health according to a "One Health" approach, development of rural territories and sustainable food systems.

About ANSES

ANSES has a central role in assessing health risks in order to inform public policy in the areas of food, the environment, work, animal health and welfare, and plant health. Through its expert appraisal, research, monitoring and surveillance activities, it studies the biological and chemical hazards that can affect animal health, plant health and food safety. Its opinions and recommendations are systematically made public, and help to inform decision-making and stimulate public debate.