From July 22 to 24, customs officers and Republican Police in Benin are participating in a crucial workshop aimed at combating the circulation of counterfeit veterinary medicines, a growing threat to both animal and public health.
Hosted at the Zou Departmental Health Directorate in Abomey, the training is organised by the Livestock Directorate with support from the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA).
At the workshop’s opening, Dr. Boubacar Mamadou Djaouga, Technical Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, sounded the alarm on the dangers posed by fake veterinary drugs.
“Our country is facing the worrying proliferation and manipulation of counterfeit veterinary medicines, a scourge with serious health, economic, security and social consequences,” he said. He added that the use of these counterfeit medicines leads to treatment failures, spreading zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance that endangers both animals and humans.
Dr. Djaouga highlighted the critical role of Customs and Police, who patrol borders and monitor distribution routes where such fake products often enter. “It is essential to strengthen their knowledge by providing the tools and agreeing on strategies necessary to detect, report, intercept these fake medicines and put the offenders out of action,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Dr. Yao Akpo, Director of Livestock, described the workshop as a vital opportunity to share experiences and rally efforts against this regional scourge. “When poor quality medicine is administered to animals, it is human health that is threatened at the end of the chain. Therefore, administering good quality medicines to animals also means preserving human health. So, we must fight the evil at the root,” he stressed.
The workshop combines presentations, lively debates, and group work, equipping participants with practical skills to safeguard Benin’s public and animal health from the dangers of counterfeit veterinary medicines.
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