The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Division of Food Security of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), has successfully concluded the Trinidad component of a comprehensive Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Simulation Exercise, the Ministry announced Wednesday.

According to the release, the exercise significantly strengthens the country’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to transboundary animal disease outbreaks. It was conducted under the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme TCP/TRI/4001 – Animal Disease Outbreak Response in Trinidad and Tobago, forming part of a broader national preparedness initiative aimed at enhancing coordination and emergency response capabilities across multiple sectors.

The exercise brought together veterinary professionals, laboratory personnel, emergency management agencies, public health officials, law enforcement, communications specialists and senior decision-makers. Participants worked through a series of practical and strategic activities, including field response drills, laboratory simulation exercises, specialised risk and outbreak communications training, and a national tabletop exercise in which participants responded to evolving outbreak scenarios, assessed policy decisions, coordinated resource mobilisation, and evaluated national response capabilities under simulated emergency conditions.