About the Veterinary Health and Control Division:
The Division was established in 2017 as a part of the Deputy-Ministry for Animal Resources' restructuring plan. The Division functions are to draft and update the existing regulation and legislations in the area of animal health, and to develop disease control measures and strategies, in addition to setting controls over the veterinary health services.
Contact info.
animalhealth@mewa.gov.sa
Duties:
1) Develop legislation and regulation of animal health, veterinary diagnosis and treatment services, and oversee the implementation of these legislation and regulation to meet the desired goals.
2) Establish legislation and criteria on the safety of animal products in cooperation with relevant authorities to ensure the safety of foods of animal origin.
3) Establish legislation and criteria on domestic animal quarantine in accordance with approved health and veterinary policies.
4) Establish legislation and criteria on the production and development of veterinary vaccines in the Kingdom in cooperation with the General Directorate of Laboratories.
5) Communicate with international animal health organizations to get information on diseases that may affect public health and animal health.
6) Develop criteria and requirements on slaughterhouses' workers and veterinary animal care facilities' workers.
7) Develop standards for veterinary vaccines used in the Kingdom in coordination with the General Directorate of Laboratories and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority.
8) Evaluate vaccines used in epidemics disease control programs in coordination with the General Directorate of Laboratories.
9) Develop plans and programs to combat zoonoses to reduce their transmission to humans in cooperation with the concerned departments and government agencies.
10) Develop plans and programs to protect the animal resources in the Kingdom from the risks of environmental pollution in cooperation with the Deputy-Ministry for Environment and other stakeholders.
11) Develop plans and programs for epidemiological surveillance and control, including a mapping of animal epidemic diseases, immunization programs and animal disease prevention.
12) Specify the types of diagnostic tests for animal diseases and in the Kingdom and oversee the application of these tests achieving the desired goals.
13) Develop animal welfare policies under the animal welfare Act in accordance with its regulations and in coordination with other relevant authorities and follow up their implementation.