In these times of sanitary crisis, we sincerely hope that you and your close relations are fit and healthy. We wish to pay homage to all hospital and health services staff, who are relentlessly working to protect our own health. We also stand next to farmer producers, carriers and merchants, who allow us to fulfil the needs essential to our activities.
AVSF teams remain committed both in France and in cooperation countries
Our priority is to ensure the teams’ safety in both France and the cooperation countries, some of which are even more vulnerable than ourselves, from a sanitary point of view. We are taking all necessary measures so as to limit the virus spreading, while maintaining our activities to the advantage of the most destitute peasant families, whenever possible without risk.
In France, all permanent staff have been working from home since March 17th onwards. They remain strongly connected with our partners and teams abroad. Some of the latter also apply voluntary movement limitation measures, while containment is becoming compulsory in several other countries. Surely, an activity decrease will be unavoidable for some of our projects, but we are getting ready to resume all our actions as soon as conditions will allow it. We remain available to answer any question you might have.
Human and animal health: one and only fight!
At least 75 % of the emerging pathogens (virus, bacteria, etc.) affecting human beings are from animal origin. Our vice-president Barbara Dufour, Doctor in Veterinary Medicine and epidemiology and zoonosis teacher in Maisons-Alfort veterinary school, already made a statement regarding the Covid-19 emergence before the pandemic broke out, [to be found here in French].
Within the scope of our “conference without borders” cycles, Barbara had delivered an enthralling lecture, explaining in a very educational way the tight links connecting human and animal health (in French).
Heading towards a more inclusive and sustainable social and development model
This sanitary crisis poses a challenge to our production, consumption and local and international trade models, in particular as regards agricultural commodities and products of animal origin. Agricultures in the world have to urgently withdraw from production methods damaging ecosystems, destructive agro-industrial models and unfair market competition. It is vital to speed up agro-ecological transition and protect biodiversity, promote fair and sustainable distribution channels, and strengthen veterinary treatment and control packages as closely as possible to vulnerable and cut off communities.
Along with you, we will carry on supporting those peasant agricultures and livestock farms showing respect to animals, human beings and the environment.
Take care! Let’s stay at home while remaining all together rallied around solidarity, here and over there!
Philippe Collin, President
Frédéric Apollin, CEO
and all AVSF teams in the world.
