National Veterinary Services Roles and Responsibilities in Preparing for and Responding to Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies

National Veterinary Services have a wide range of regulatory and operational responsibilities as directed by their respective countries including: animal health, animal welfare, food safety, zoonotic disease surveillance and control, import and export regulations, trade in livestock and livestock products, disaster management, and other functional areas. These services can utilize numerous guidelines and standards to prepare for and respond to nuclear and radiologic events. In addition to their national and regional guidelines, there are resources developed by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency, United Nations Food and Agriculture Agency, the World Organization for Animal Health and other entities to support disaster risk reduction, preparedness and response. National Veterinary Services can utilitze all these resources to effectively and effeciently respond to nuclear and radiological emergencies.