As part of its efforts to apply and promote the biosecurity systems in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) provided preventive and treatment services to camel owners and livestock breeders participating in the 13th edition of Al Dhafra Festival 2019. Organized by Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee - Abu Dhabi, the annual festival, which runs until December 25, is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

ADAFSA's participation features a mobile veterinary clinic comprising veterinarians and veterinary technicians, to check participating camels and ensure they are Brucella-free. The authority is providing veterinary services to farm owners and livestock breeders who participate in the festival, such as carrying out lab tests, diagnosing of diseased animals and prescribing appropriate medicines for them.

ADAFSA's veterinary clinic has received over 2,100 of participating livestock breeders. The veterinarians have treated 343 camels from various diseases, numbering and registering of over 3,628 camels, and spraying and disinfecting of camels' pens.

The festival's visitors can benefit from the free services offered by ADAFSA. These services include treating animals, spraying animals and farms, blood tests, performing surgeries and conducting other important tests. Moreover, ADAFSA distributed various educational publications to introduce livestock breeders and the festival's visitors to the best and latest global practices on farm management. These practices include taking care of animals by vaccinating the herd and controlling insects and parasites, feeding animals with feed containing the necessary components for all stages of growth and production, best practices for disposing of waste and dead animals, insemination periods, and methods for selecting the proper breeds.
Furthermore, the authority is keen on educating animals breeders about the role of its annual vaccination campaigns in enhancing Abu Dhabi's biosecurity system and protecting animals from various diseases and epidemics, thus improving animals farming, increasing their production and protecting them from potential epidemic diseases.

ADAFSA seeks to make a meaningful contribution to the heritage and community events, to raise the public awareness about the good practices related to food safety, agriculture and livestock. Therefore, the authority holds meetings with visitors of such events to educate them about zoonotic diseases and ways to prevent them, legislations and laws concerning animal welfare, and its other important activities.

The mobile veterinary services are amongst the innovative services developed by ADAFSA in its endeavor to improve lab testing and keep pace with modern technology. This led ADAFSA to advance laboratory services that could be performed outside the traditional lab.