The development of OIE international
guidelines and standards and revision and updating of existing
ones deem necessary upon the following reasons:
- Permanent new advances on scientific
knowledge
- Communications and transportation of
animals and animal products increase
- Human and animal population growth
- Appearance of emerging diseases
- Need to provide scientific-base
quick answers according to safety and transparent international
trade
Above reasons are
relevant enough to count with all countries participation
in this working process. We have outlined a guideline with
a view to facilitate better comprehension of procedures in
connection with revision and development processes and its
fixed annual working schedule.
We will also include text of each country
comments received to revision and development of OIE international
guidelines and standards for sharing and interchange purposes |
The WTO Agreement on the Application
of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), which
came into force in January 1995 with the WTO, is aimed at
minimising the negative effects of unjustified health barriers
on international trade. The Agreement requires Member Countries,
with a view to achieving the widest possible harmonisation
of the animal health measures they take to ensure the protection
of human and animal life and health, to establish those measures
on the basis of international standards, guidelines and recommendations.
For animal health and zoonoses, the SPS Agreement refers to
the 'standards, guidelines and recommendations developed under
the auspices of the OIE'.
The OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code and the Aquatic Animal
Health Code contain standards, guidelines and recommendations
designed to prevent the introduction of infectious agents
and diseases pathogenic to animals and humans into the importing
country during trade in animals, animal genetic material and
animal products. They do this through detailed recommendations
on sanitary measures to be used by OIE Member Countries in
establishing the health regulations applying to the import
of animals, animal genetic material and animal products.
The Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial
Animals and the Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals,
companion volumes to their respective Codes, provide a uniform
approach to the diagnosis of OIE-listed diseases and other
diseases of importance to international trade, so that the
requirements for health certification in connection with trade
in animals and animal products can be met. By describing internationally
agreed laboratory methods for disease diagnosis and requirements
for the production and control of biological products (mainly
vaccines), their objective is to harmonise these important
elements of animal disease prevention, surveillance and control.
The Manuals provide a wealth of internationally agreed essential
scientific and technical information that complement the Codes'
trade provisions.
The development of new standards and the revision of existing
standards in the OIE Codes and Manuals are tasks for one of
the OIE Specialist Commissions (for the Terrestrial Code -
the Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission, for the
Terrestrial Manual - the Biological Standards Commission,
and for the Aquatic Code and Aquatic Manual - the Aquatic
Animal Health Standards Commission). The Specialist Commissions
comprise members experienced in veterinary science and regulatory
issues, elected by the OIE International Committee and drawn
from all OIE regions. They meet two or three times yearly
to address a detailed work programme of standards development
and revision. A new or revised standard may be requested by
a Member Country, a Regional Commission, the International
Committee or by an international organisation with which the
OIE collaborates (for example FAO, WHO). The Commissions may
use the work of OIE Ad hoc Groups convened to examine the
latest scientific information on a particular infectious agent
or disease to determine if changes are needed to any standards.
A standard drafted by the Specialist Commission is first circulated
to all Member Countries for comment and initial discussion
by the International Committee. The Specialist Commission
then revises the draft, taking into account comments received,
and usually submits the revised draft for adoption at the
next meeting of the International Committee. Once formally
adopted, the standard is made available for implementation
by Member Countries. The value of standards published in the
OIE Codes and Manuals lies in the fact that they are developed
and revised through formal consultation and are the result
of consensus among experts from OIE Member Countries.
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