Stakeholders in veterinary services from ECOWAS Member States are meeting in Accra to agree on a coordinated surveillance and laboratory based mechanism for the prevention and control of trans-boundary animal diseases that will impact positively on the quality of livestock from the sub-region. The six day meeting is one of the fallouts of the 65th ECOWAS Council of Ministers meeting in November 2010 which adopted three regulations towards ensuring improved sanitary health in the agriculture sector, specifically in the area of livestock. The regulations are in line with the ECOWAS agriculture policy of providing quality food to citizens, wealth creation and poverty reduction. Director of veterinary services, Dr. Mark Hanson said the meeting will develop a template for disease reporting in the region consistent with international best practices and the regional agricultural policy which will feed into the ECOAGRIS, the regional agriculture information system as well as other disease reporting systems. Directors of veterinary services, Heads of veterinary laboratories, producer organisations, resource persons, experts and ECOWAS staff are attending the meeting which will also develop regional positions on issues affecting the sector for international meetings, particularly the forthcoming meetings in Nairobi and Paris on the livestock sector. Addressing the media at the opening, the Head of Livestock Development at the ECOWAS Commission, Vivian Iwar, noted they will take stock of the animal health situation in the region; develop a coordinated regional strategy for epi-surveillance and harmonised laboratory procedures for the prevention and control of animal diseases as well as formulate a regional animal health reporting system.