Benin hosts the first regional workshop on Substandard and Falsified Veterinary Products (SFVP) for francophone Africa

This regional meeting provided a strategic platform to highlight the health, economic and regulatory consequences of substandard and falsified veterinary products. It also showcased the added value of the VSAFE pilot system as a coordinated surveillance and notification tool for the benefit of Members. In addition, the workshop offered an opportunity to test the TRUVET system under real-life conditions, enabling its final refinement ahead of its official rollout to all WOAH Members.

Objectives of the workshop :

The workshop specifically aimed to:

• Raise awareness of persistent knowledge and data gaps regarding the presence of substandard and falsified veterinary products in the region, and the associated national and regional risks, particularly for animal health, livelihoods and antimicrobial resistance (AMR);
• Share progress made by WOAH in developing and operationalising the TRUVET system (Track and Report Unsafe Veterinary Products), designed to strengthen monitoring and surveillance of SFVPs;
• Review existing national detection and surveillance mechanisms for SFVPs;
• Strengthen inter-institutional collaboration, including with WOAH partners, to facilitate information-sharing and the reporting of substandard and falsified veterinary products.

Expected outcomes:

By the conclusion of the workshop, the following outcomes are anticipated:

• Enhanced understanding and strengthened commitment from Members to actively contribute to the veterinary products surveillance system (TRUVET);
• Improved national information gathering on the quality of veterinary products, including legislative frameworks, detection tools and laboratory capacities, to help identify priority country needs.
• Increased capacity of Members to use the VSAFE pilot and TRUVET systems to integrate targeted actions against SFVPs into their National Action Plans on antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

A participatory, practice-oriented approach:

Beyond technical presentations, the workshop incorporated hands-on sessions built around realistic scenarios. These practical exercises enabled participants to engage with concrete situations involving the detection and notification of substandard and falsified veterinary products.

Widely commended by participants, this participatory approach allowed for operational familiarisation with the VSAFE pilot system, in preparation for the transition to the new TRUVET platform, whose official launch is scheduled in the coming months.

The structured collection of participants’ feedback and recommendations will provide critical input to support WOAH in finalising and optimising the TRUVET system, ensuring it responds effectively to the needs and realities of its Members.

Strengthening communication and advocacy for sustainable adoption:

The final day of the workshop was dedicated to communication and advocacy, with the objective of enhancing participants’ capacity to leverage notification data, develop evidence-based arguments, and promote the adoption of the TRUVET system among national decision-makers and relevant stakeholders.

WOAH emphasises that sustainable progress in combating substandard and falsified veterinary products depends on close collaboration, active listening to Members’ expectations, and sustained technical support to national authorities.

Towards large-scale adoption of the TRUVET system:

Through this initiative, WOAH aims to promote and scale up the deployment of the TRUVET system, enabling countries to notify and receive alerts related to substandard and falsified veterinary products, recognised as a major threat to animal health, human health and the environment.

Next step:

The official launch of TRUVET, WOAH’s dedicated notification platform for reporting substandard and falsified veterinary products.