The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is hosted a three-day workshop (February 1–3, 2016), led by a team from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and expert consultants, on “Emergency and Incident Management” to help Algerian institutions strengthen the chemical security and food defense systems in Algeria. The workshop is being held in Algiers from.
The U.S. team of experts worked with their Algerian counterparts to develop recommendations to systematically replace dangerous and obsolete pesticides with safer products and help Algeria meet relevant international safety standards for agricultural pesticides. In addition, this program will help institutionalize specific plans to mitigate chemical threats to the food supply chain. The program will work with key Algerian institutions, the government, and private industry to prevent tampering and contamination of the food supply and ensure rapid communication techniques.
This workshop is a sign of the growing agricultural cooperation between Algeria and the United States, particularly as the Algerian government works to diversify and expand the economy. Increased food production and food security is very important to achieving this goal.
The U.S. Ambassador to Algeria Joan Polaschik said at the inauguration of the workshop, “The United States has a great deal of technical experience to share, and this workshop is just one example of the many ways we are working together to advance our mutual goals. In this increasingly inter-connected world, the international community must develop mitigation strategies to reduce vulnerabilities identified in our global food system, including chemical threats.”
