Structure and Status of the Veterinary Service of the Russian Federation

1. Structure and Status of the Veterinary Service of the Russian Federation

2. Structure of the Veterinary Service • In Russia there are veterinary authorities, organizations and specialists whose activities are based on different patterns of ownership: • Governmental • Municipal • Public organizations and associations • Private • Activities of veterinary services and specialists are supported as required by other authorities, governmentaland private institutions, specialists of paraveterinary and other professions

3. Structure of the Veterinary Service • Russia is a federative state whose territory has several levels of administrative division: • Federal Okrugs including several Subjects of the Russian Federation • Subjects of the Russian Federation (oblasts, krais, republics, etc.) including several rayons • Rayons including several municipal entities (towns, villages, several small settlements) • Municipal entities

4. Structure of the State Veterinary Service • The arrangement of the State Veterinary Service of Russia follows in whole the administrative-territorial system of the country : • There is the Federal level of the State Veterinary Service (SVS) organization • There is no regulatory body in the structure of the SVS that corresponds to the level of Federal Okrugs • There is the Subject level of the SVS organization presented by Veterinary Administrations (Committees) of Subjects of the Russian Federation • There is the Rayon level of the SVS organization presented by veterinary services of rayons administratively subordinated to Veterinary Administrations of Subjects of the Russian Federation • There is the Municipal level of the SVS organization

5. Structure of the State Veterinary Service • Veterinary Services of Russia, carrying out surveillance and licensing activities, are on the final stage of the administrative reform that is aimed at bringing structure, functions and powers of Veterinary Services in conformity with social and economic conditions of post-reform Russia and the best standards elaborated by the international community. • At the level of Veterinary Services of the Subjects of the Russian Federation the incompleteness of the reform is demonstrated by the fact that the branches of State Veterinary Services possessing surveillance powers and providing veterinary assistance are not completely divided.

6. Structure of the State Veterinary Service • At the Federal level the State Veterinary Service is divided into two branches. • The first one includes Rosselkhoznadzor and its subordinate structures responsible mainly for biological and food safety, surveillance activities.The Deputy Director of the Rosselkhoznadzor in the veterinary sector is the OIE Delegate from the Russian Federation and the Chief State Veterinary Officer of the Russian Federation. • The second one includes the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Livestock Production and its subordinate structures that are mainly responsible for providing state assistance in the field of veterinary medicine, veterinary legislation, development of federal programmes in the field of veterinary medicine. • Both branches of the State Veterinary Service are engaged in international activities within their powers and cooperate with other federal authorities.

7. Structure of the State Veterinary Service • Central apparatus of the State Veterinary Service includes: - Central apparatus of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor). In main directions its work is supported by specialized establishments: • ARRIAH; • Information and Analytical Centre of the Rosselkhoznadzor • VGNKI; • CRVL; • The Department for Veterinary Medicine and Livestock Production of the Ministry of Agriculture. In main directions its work is supported by specialized establishments: • The Veterinary Centre; • The All-Russian Centre for Toxicology and Radiobiology

8. Structure of the State Veterinary Service At the level of Subjects of the Russian Federation: • Department of Veterinary Medicine and Livestock Production of the Ministry of Agriculture • Is not represented by its establishments but coordinates the work of Veterinary Administrations of Subjects of the Russian Federation within its powers. • The Rosselkhoznadzor is represented by: • Territorial Administrations responsible for organization of Rosselkhoznadzor activities in Subjects of the Russian Federation including control and surveillance at state borders. • Interregional veterinary laboratories and reference centres carrying out diagnostic and monitoring activities and research work in the main directions of the Rosselkhoznadzor work and providing assistance in diagnostic investigations to the Veterinary Services of the Subjects of the Russian Federation in emergency cases. • The Rosselkhoznadzor coordinates the work of Veterinary Departments of Subjects of the Russian Federation within its powers. Heads of the Veterinary Departments are CVOs of the territories. Their appointment is coordinated by the Rosselkhoznadzor.

9. State Veterinary Service Structure • At the level of Subjects of the Russian Federationthe State Veterinary Service is also presented by • Veterinary Administrations (Committees)of Subjects of the Russian Federationand their subordinate structures and institutions. • The legislation of the Russian Federation requires direct subordination of veterinary administrations to the governments of the corresponding Subjects of the Russian Federation, availability of their own budgets and sufficient legislative powers that shall be reflected in the Subject legislations . • Veterinary Administrations bear main responsibility for arrangement and implementation of measures aimed at the maintenance of veterinary favourable situation in the territory, rendering of veterinary services, surveillance activities except for the aspects that fall within the Russian Federation powers. • State Veterinary Services of Subjects of the Russian Federation have their own laboratory facilities as well as divisions and institutions required for special activities

10. State Veterinary Service Structure • At the level of Subjects of the Russian Federationthe State Veterinary Service is presented by : • rayon veterinary units, rayon stations for animal disease control, rayon veterinary laboratories that are structurally and functionally subordinated to the veterinary administrations of Subjects of the Russian Federation; • interrayon units of the territorial administrations of the Rosselkhoznadzor

11. Private Veterinary Sector • In the Russian Federation there are the following: • Private veterinary surgeons, • Private veterinary clinics, • Laboratories, • Companies producing veterinary drugs and other veterinary preparations, • Veterinary equipment and laboratory ware. • Veterinary surgeons (private and official) establish associations on a voluntary basis according to the sphere of activity. • Private veterinary sector is not governed by the Government or State Veterinary Service, but its activities are regulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation. • Associations of private veterinary surgeons officially and unofficially interact with veterinary authorities in order to coordinate the efforts for the implementation of various programmes and tasks of State Veterinary Service.

12. Main tasks in veterinary field • Implementation of measures for prevention and eradication of quarantine and highly dangerous animal diseases • Implementation of regional plans for veterinary servicing in animal production sector; • Veterinary specialist training, • Production of veterinary drugs and equipment, • Arrangement of veterinary researches; • Control for observance of Veterinary Legislation of the Russian Federation by physical and legal persons and by public organizations; • Protection of the Russian Federation territory against the introduction of contagious animal diseases from foreign countries; • Carrying out of state veterinary surveillance.

13. Who completes tasks of the Russian Federation in the veterinary field • Tasks in the veterinary field are fulfilled by • Federal executive body in the field of veterinary regulation and provision of state services in the veterinary sphere (at the moment these are functions of Department of Veterinary Medicine and Livestock Production) • Federal executive body exercising functions of control and surveillance in the veterinary medicine and in other fixed field of action (at the moment it is Rosselkhoznadzor)

14. Exceptional powers of the Russian Federation in the veterinary field • veterinary legislation of the Russian Federation; • creation and implementation of veterinary measures in the territory of the Russian Federation; • organizing and provision of veterinary activities of the Federal executive body; • establishment and lift of quarantine, other restrictions, aimed at the prevention of spread and eradication of foci of contagious and mass non-contagious animal diseases; • development of veterinary technical regulations, including development and adoption of veterinary and sanitary requirements and laws for safety of feeds and feed additives; • protection of the Russian Federation territory from introduction of contagious animal diseases from foreign countries; • cooperation with international organizations and foreign states in the veterinary field; • registration of veterinary drugs, feeds and feed additives for animals; • provision with veterinary drugs for anti-epidemic measures against quarantine and highly dangerous animal diseases.

15. Powers of Subjects of the Russian Federation in the veterinary field • participation in the implementation of federal measures in the territory of Subject of the Russian Federation; • arrangement of measures for prevention and eradication of animal diseases and their treatment in the territory of Subject of the Russian Federation; • protection of people from diseases common for humans and animals, excluding issues under the supervision of the Russian Federation; • registration of veterinary specialists, who carry on business; • control of veterinary specialist activities; • solving of other veterinary issues, excluding issues under the supervision of the Russian Federation.

16. Pathway that the Veterinary Service of the Russian Federation passed during the period of reforms • Since the beginning of the 80-ies the Veterinary Service has changed a lot . • By the end of 80-ies it was consolidated to a pyramidical structure that implemented all the tasks, including rendering veterinary services and surveillance activities. • At the present moment service rendering and surveillance activities are divided. That excludes a conflict of interests in the field of execution and control of execution concentrated in the same hands. • Unfortunately these processes were accompanied practically during the last 20 years by complete inattention of the Government to problems and goals of the Veterinary Service and it resulted in its significant degradation. • As a result there are practically no veterinarians in Russia who would recognize the Veterinary Service reform.

17. What in the structure of the Russia’s Veterinary Service is incompliant with the best examples • Lately the funding situation is changing for the better, but persistent underfunding of both branches of the Veterinary Service at the Federal level still remains the basic problem. • The second problem is the non-compliance of Veterinary Legislation to the changed social and economic conditions, to the international relations of the country and to the new scientific data as well as to the principles of the international trade. • This problem is partially solved by the Resolution of the Prime-minister for the sphere of international trade and cooperation. By this Resolution the Rosselkhoznadzor is permitted to use the OIE recommendations during decision-making in the field of export-import operations in case of the national law requirements contradict to these recommendations. • The task for the improvement of the Veterinary Legislation is progressively solved by various means. In particular the Veterinary Service tackles it independently and in collaboration with the OIE and European Union. For example, now the joint Russia-EU project is being implemented. Its goal is the harmonization of the Veterinary Legislation, methodological basis and educational standards in the sphere of international trade and transportation. • One more problem is the following: the service sector and surveillance activities are divided on the Federal level and are not divided on the level of the Subjects of the Federation. This makes the structure of the surveillance sector of the Service illogical and hard managed.

18. What does the Veterinary Service do to reach compliance • Activities for the improvement of Veterinary Legislation • Activities for the improvement of professional skills and responsibility of the personnel • Activities for the enhancement of veterinary education , including higher, secondary and post-graduate education • Large-scale projects in the sphere of informatization of veterinary, and in particular, of surveillance activities • Closer cooperation with international organizations, first of all – with the OIE and with National Veterinary services of other countries • Continuous communication with the Veterinary Services of neighbouring countries, including rendering of assistance to them, in case such assistance is needed

19. Long-run objectives of the Veterinary Service in the changing world • Global electronic multilanguage systems for education and best practice dissemination on the international level • Struggle with deception, fraud and smuggling, which is based on the traceability of animals, products of animal origin and on the use of protected electronic certification system on the national and international levels • Global monitoring networks for infectious pathology and food safety • Information centres for the real-time monitoring of infectious diseases and their agents • Formation of the international rapid deployment anti-epidemic forces