Revue Scientifique Et Technique (International Office Of Epizootics)[JOURNAL]
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200 papers
Animal welfare in the context of World Trade Organization dispute settlement.
Kahn S
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729577 · Publisher ↗
This paper was written to give veterinarians and decision-makers an overview of World Trade Organization (WTO) findings relevant to animal welfare. The article has a practical focus and does not attempt to provide a lega...
This paper was written to give veterinarians and decision-makers an overview of World Trade Organization (WTO) findings relevant to animal welfare. The article has a practical focus and does not attempt to provide a legal analysis of WTO dispute settlement. The author has simplified very technical legal language so that the paper will be useful to a broader audience. The global trade rules comprise a series of legal agreements that came into effect in 1995, when the WTO was established. The overarching objective of the WTO is to promote international trade by avoiding unjustified discrimination between trading partners. The harmonisation of national measures with relevant international standards is encouraged by the WTO to facilitate safe trade. The broad objective of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is to promote global improvements in animal health and welfare, and veterinary public health. To this end, the OIE sets intergovernmental standards and works to strengthen the capacities of Members to implement them. The OIE standards are recognised as WTO references with respect to animal health and zoonotic diseases and a significant number of WTO disputes have addressed the relevance of these OIE standards to international trade measures. In addition to animal health standards, the OIE also sets standards for animal welfare, and has implemented regional and global strategies to encourage their adoption by Members. In comparison with measures to protect animal health or food safety, few WTO disputes have considered animal welfare related measures. A lack of WTO case law has contributed to uncertainty about the consistency of WTO animal welfare measures. This paper considers some WTO disputes and findings relevant to animal welfare. The outcomes of these disputes suggest that WTO Panels and the Appellate Body are prepared to accept the right of Members to regulate for animal welfare purposes, providing that they respect the established WTO disciplines. This article draws two main conclusions. Firstly, regardless of whether measures are adopted to protect animal welfare or animal health, for WTO consistency, they must not result in unjustifiable, arbitrary or unnecessary discrimination. Secondly, regardless of how the WTO deals with animal welfare, governments must respond to the growing interest of consumers in farm animal welfare. The OIE standards, as recognised references for trading countries and the WTO, will continue to be influential in relation to global trade in animal products. It is important that the OIE update its animal welfare standards regularly, to ensure that they are consistent with latest scientific understanding and appropriate to consumer expectations for ethical food production.
Facilitating market access: risk assessment, equivalence and regionalisation provisions in the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.
Hamilton A
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729576 · Publisher ↗
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures contains several key provisions that are important for trade in animals and animal products, namely on risk assessmen...
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures contains several key provisions that are important for trade in animals and animal products, namely on risk assessment, equivalence and regionalisation. The risk assessment provision allows countries to adopt, on the basis of a risk assessment, measures which achieve a higher level of sanitary protection than that embodied in existing relevant international standards. The equivalence provision requires importing countries to acknowledge that, while the production methods of the exporting country may differ from their own, they may still provide an equivalent level of health protection. Finally, the regionalisation provision enables countries to export animals and animal products from diseasefree areas, even if other areas within that country have experienced outbreaks of a particular animal disease. This paper explores how these provisions, and the scientific concept of the appropriate level of protection, facilitate trade while at the same time allowing Members to establish their sanitary measures. This paper also provides information on the relevant discussions of these provisions within the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.
Developing and implementing a protocol for bilateral trade agreements: the Philippines' shift to a risk assessment policy and meeting its challenges.
Escandor M, Amurao S, Santos IJ … +1 more , Benigno CC
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729575 · Publisher ↗
The livestock and poultry industries in the Philippines have been continuously growing for the past six years, as reflected in the Philippine Statistics Authority annual reports from 2013 to 2018. To augment supplies and...
The livestock and poultry industries in the Philippines have been continuously growing for the past six years, as reflected in the Philippine Statistics Authority annual reports from 2013 to 2018. To augment supplies and ensure food sufficiency, as well as to fulfil trade agreements, the government has adopted a policy of importing some livestock commodities. Currently, the Philippines imports about 20% of its total meat requirements, and this figure is expected to increase over the next few years. Private traders and companies could import buffalo meat without restriction until 1996, when the Department of Agriculture (DA) intervened by sending inspection missions to exporting countries due to the concerns of the livestock industry about the foot and mouth disease challenges during that time. But, at that point, there were still no clear rules, regulations or standards governing the importation of meat and meat products into the Philippines. By 2003, as outbreaks of transboundary animal diseases were occurring in the region (avian influenza as well as foot and mouth disease), the government saw the need to protect its borders from the entry, establishment and spread of animal diseases. Measures were needed to prevent the introduction of disease-carrying, contaminated or adulterated meat and meat products that could endanger the lives and health of Filipino consumers and, consequently, have potentially serious economic impacts on the livestock industry and other allied industries. As more and more requests were received to import meat and meat products, and as various stakeholder groups began to question why increasing numbers of imports were being allowed into the country, the DA began to shift to a risk-based policy rather than a policy of 100% inspection. The Philippine Government ensured that there was a legal basis as well as a scientific basis for orders governing the importation of meat and live animals. As the country shifts to a risk-based policy, making the public understand why it is implementing this policy remains a major challenge. Other areas that need to be developed and strengthened include quarantine and border security procedures, certification programmes, identification and traceability, export procedures, periodic auditing schemes, animal health programmes, capacities for risk analysis, and provincial border controls, which can be set by local governments to allow provinces to protect their locality.
Guatemala: efforts to facilitate free trade in an animal health context.
Maldonado Caceres HI
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729574 · Publisher ↗
This article describes the development of Guatemala's animal health legislation since the country signed the international agreement establishing the World Organisation for Animal Health (then Office International des Ep...
This article describes the development of Guatemala's animal health legislation since the country signed the international agreement establishing the World Organisation for Animal Health (then Office International des Epizooties) in 1924. This includes the evolution of the legislative framework, with the adoption of the Guatemalan Animal Health Code in 1936, the adoption of the Animal Health Law in 1947 and its conversion into the Plant and Animal Health Law and implementing regulations in 1998. This article also analyses changes in the operational and administrative structure of the competent animal health authority - the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food - in 1978, 1998 and 2010, until the Trade Facilitation Agreement of the World Trade Organization was approved in 2017. It also discusses the role of the Ministry of Economy, through the Foreign Trade Administration Directorate, in boosting the enforcement of sanitary and phytosanitary measures through the National Technical Committee for Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.
Disease-free zones: bilateral recognition procedure in South America.
Funes G, Merlo AL, Sowul M … +3 more , Rendine N, Melon X, Marcos A
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729573 · Publisher ↗
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), zoning is a risk management strategy for achieving the progressive control and eradication of animal diseases, and for providing guarantees for international t...
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), zoning is a risk management strategy for achieving the progressive control and eradication of animal diseases, and for providing guarantees for international trade. The implementation and effectiveness of zoning relies on the quality of Veterinary Services. Eradicating a disease and securing trading partners' recognition of this disease-free status demands resources, and promotes economic and fruitful development. It also guarantees the sanitary safety of trade, provided that OIE standards are applied and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) is complied with. The OIE international standards and the SPS Agreement lay down provisions for the effective implementation of zoning and the recognition of disease-free zones. Although animal-disease-free statuses place such zones in a favourable position with regard to exporting their products to the international market, they can create internal restrictions between regions of the same country with differing statuses. As a general rule, each importing country implements its own evaluation procedure, independent of OIE official recognition. While this usually provides for information evaluation and an on-site inspection mission, there is no harmonisation between countries regarding the methodology or the information required for risk assessment. Recognition of a disease-free zone does not imply automatic permission to export any product from that zone. Firstly, it is necessary to request that the market be opened for each product in question, guaranteeing the conditions demanded by the target market (risk analysis and animal health certification). To benefit from external markets, there are ways of speeding up bilateral recognition of disease-free zones, such as bilateral veterinary agreements or free trade agreements that establish clear areas and procedures to be implemented by trading partner countries. The ongoing exchange of information among countries builds trust among their Veterinary Services and authorities, which leads to expedited recognition procedures. The work of the OIE (Pathway for the Evaluation of Performance of Veterinary Services [PVS Pathway], OIE Observatory) and the WTO Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Committee) (enforcement mechanisms) should be strengthened to assist countries in implementing zoning.
Mutual recognition of veterinary testing and inspection results to facilitate international trade.
Meliadò F, Widders P
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729572 · Publisher ↗
For a country to have confidence in the health status of the animals or animal goods it is importing, it must also have confidence in the performance of the exporting country's Veterinary Service. An exporting country's...
For a country to have confidence in the health status of the animals or animal goods it is importing, it must also have confidence in the performance of the exporting country's Veterinary Service. An exporting country's Veterinary Service may be judged by its management of the health status of its animal population and by the governance of its export process. Effectiveness in both arenas provides prospective importing countries with confidence in the sanitary status of that nation's exports and facilitates international trade. Assessing the performance of Veterinary Services across borders, however, can be a complex process, which depends on building trust and exchanging information between independent jurisdictions and the relevant scientific and regulatory authorities. In this paper, the authors introduce some of the fundamental facts and concepts of regulatory cooperation at the multilateral and bilateral level. They also discuss why such initiatives matter when attempting to increase safe trade in animals and animal products. In addition, the authors address ways in which such cooperation could be undertaken more effectively; specifically, by supporting the implementation of the health standards set by the World Organisation for Animal Health while facilitating the seamless flow of animal goods. The authors conclude by presenting a case study of the trade in animals and animal products between Australia and New Zealand, as an example of best practice in international regulatory cooperation leading to more and safer trade.
Building capacity for World Trade Organization dispute settlement: piloting polarity mapping for trade relations.
Vesterinen HM, Perez AM, Errecaborde KM
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729571 · Publisher ↗
Trade disputes have been on the rise in recent decades. Resolving these disputes can be challenging, even when relying on the World Trade Organization (WTO) formal dispute settlement system. Polarity mapping, a visual fr...
Trade disputes have been on the rise in recent decades. Resolving these disputes can be challenging, even when relying on the World Trade Organization (WTO) formal dispute settlement system. Polarity mapping, a visual framework for understanding the challenges of organisational collaboration, could help to provide structure to these negotiations. This paper describes how polarity mapping was adapted to support or mitigate trade disputes related to the trade of animals or animal products. A three-step process allowed stakeholders to: identify the conditions affecting a trade relationship, use polarity mapping to identify priorities and challenges for continued trade relationships, and outline an action plan to support these relationships in the event of a disease outbreak. The tool was then tested, using an exploratory case study methodology. Polarity mapping was found to be both useful and practical for investigating how to improve trade relationships. The case-study participants were able to identify strategies, choices and decisions that moved them towards a more sustainable trade relationship. Further testing and iterative development of the tool in a current, real-life trade dispute would be beneficial. The hope is that, in the future, a simple tool such as polarity mapping could be used either to plan pre-emptively for trade challenges and thereby prevent disputes, or to provide a method for consultation within the formal WTO dispute settlement process.
The pros and cons of animal health harmonisation.
Adamson D, Gilbert W, Rothman-Ostrow P … +1 more , Rushton J
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729570 · Publisher ↗
It has been argued that the global harmonisation of animal health procedures, regulations and responses will improve animal health and provide economic benefits. Harmonisation of regulations can be driven by trade reform...
It has been argued that the global harmonisation of animal health procedures, regulations and responses will improve animal health and provide economic benefits. Harmonisation of regulations can be driven by trade reform, such as multilateral or bilateral agreements, or as a response to private quality assurance programmes. At an international level, trade reform is currently focused on reducing the costs of trading between countries. To achieve this, bilateral agreements, where possible, are harmonising regulations throughout all sectors of the economy. However, as with any new developments, there are both positive and negative outcomes that should be explored to understand the net effect of these changes on animal health, the economy and society. In this article, the authors debate the economic foundations of harmonisation, explore alternative methods to achieve it, and discuss its pros and cons to more fully understand the opportunity costs from countries adopting the same level of risk to animal health.
Informal trade in livestock and livestock products.
Grace D, Little P
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729569 · Publisher ↗
Informal trade in livestock and livestock products is of special concern because of the risk of spreading animal and human diseases. At the same time, informal trade can contribute to people's livelihoods and food securi...
Informal trade in livestock and livestock products is of special concern because of the risk of spreading animal and human diseases. At the same time, informal trade can contribute to people's livelihoods and food security, especially in lowand middle-income countries. Informal trade may involve legal or illegal products. It may be domestic (or internal) or involve neighbouring countries; it may take place within a region or between distant countries. Entrepôt trade (or 're-exports') is a significant form of informal trade in livestock products. Pastoral mobility often entails movement across boundaries for trade and much of this is also informal. There are important economic, social, political, and environmental drivers for informal trade which make it difficult to eliminate. Informal livestock trade may be largely ignored by the authorities, implicitly encouraged, made less attractive, forcibly suppressed, or actively engaged with, in an attempt to mitigate its risks and enhance its benefits. To identify the optimal management approach, it is crucial to understand the importance and characteristics of informal trade, its benefits and risks, and the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of different strategies to address it. The authors describe a case study from East Africa to explore some of the issues raised by informal trade.
A framework for national official assurance systems with reference to World Organisation for Animal Health standards.
Bonbon E
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729568 · Publisher ↗
With the expansion and intensification of international trade in animals and animal products in the last decades, the risk of the spread of transboundary animal diseases has increased. Veterinary Authorities may take leg...
With the expansion and intensification of international trade in animals and animal products in the last decades, the risk of the spread of transboundary animal diseases has increased. Veterinary Authorities may take legitimate measures at import to protect their territories' animal and human populations, and may require official assurances for imported animals or animal products. These measures have often led to overly stringent restrictions or even wide embargoes that may have a counterproductive effect. In order to avoid unjustified barriers to trade, the World Trade Organization's Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures recognises the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) as the international references to be followed for animal health measures. The OIE standards provide for scientifically based recommendations for risk mitigation measures before and after international movements, depending on the disease and the commodity. They also provide for import risk analysis and bilateral equivalence methodologies, as well as certification rules and border inspection procedures. In order to provide confidence that trade requirements are met, exporting countries' Veterinary Authorities need to implement national assurance systems. For that reason, OIE Members should primarily follow the OIE standards for quality Veterinary Services. Veterinary Authorities are invited to use the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (Terrestrial Code), Aquatic Animal Health Code, Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals, and Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals to build capable services and implement sound and effective measures. The User's Guide of the Terrestrial Code lists the elements that are essential to achieving this.
National official assurance systems for international trade in animals and animal products, with reference to the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health.
Jolly WT
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729567 · Publisher ↗
In the context of trade, national official assurance systems are the mechanism through which countries provide official assurance to other countries that their products are safe to trade. Regardless of the form in which...
In the context of trade, national official assurance systems are the mechanism through which countries provide official assurance to other countries that their products are safe to trade. Regardless of the form in which it is conveyed, an official assurance, for the most part, is a statement from one competent authority to another about the conformity of a consignment with agreed requirements. Effectively, one government is providing a level of guarantee to the other government about matters such as the disease or pest status that exists nationally or regionally and/ or about the risk management activities that have been undertaken as relevant to the traded consignment. Accordingly, the degree of confidence that the importing competent authority has in the ethics, competence and capability of the exporting country's competent authority is central to how much trust the importing country places in the official assurances from the exporting country. The World Organisation for Animal Health Terrestrial Animal Health Code and Aquatic Animal Health Code (Section 5 of both) set out veterinary certificate requirements relating to animal health and zoonoses for both importing and exporting countries engaging in the trade of animals and animal products. These requirements are supplemented by the guidance developed by the Codex Committee on Food Inspection and Certification Systems, which covers the inspection and certification system requirements related to food safety and other non-health-related technical matters (e.g. composition, grade or organic status), as relevant to the international trade in food. This review discusses the need for countries to further align the form and content of their official assurance requirements with the relevant international standards and recommendations. It also notes, however, that there is currently a paucity of recommended standardised attestations. It highlights the increasing movement towards electronic certification and the potential this brings for further amalgamation of different certificate types and the coordination of border clearance processes. The basic components and principles that apply to national official assurance systems are identified and explained. Lastly, future trends and challenges for national official assurance systems, such as the impact of electronic commerce and regional distribution hubs, and the increasing recognition of containment zones and/or risk mitigations, such as treatments, are discussed.
Compartmentalisation: an example of a national official assurance system.
Maja M, Janse Van Rensburg L, Gerstenberg C
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729566 · Publisher ↗
In South Africa's experience, compartmentalisation has been extremely effective in maintaining an animal subpopulation of a specific health status, based on segregation and biosecurity management. Compartmentalisation pr...
In South Africa's experience, compartmentalisation has been extremely effective in maintaining an animal subpopulation of a specific health status, based on segregation and biosecurity management. Compartmentalisation promotes animal disease control and underwrites a national official assurance system that provides zoosanitary trade guarantees for animals and animal products. South Africa started to develop the concept of compartmentalisation during the 1950s for the pig sector, due to African swine fever being endemic in wildlife in the north of the country, where certain biosecurity measures were used to protect domestic pigs. Compartmentalisation protocols were formalised and officially published from 2001 as voluntary systems, first for the pig industry and later for the poultry (chicken and ostrich) industry. South Africa uses five basic principles for animal health compartmentalisation, namely, segregation, biosecurity, record-keeping, surveillance and official inspection. These are applied in line with the World Organisation for Animal Health Terrestrial Animal Health Code guidelines. Industry and the farmer bear the costs of compartmentalisation and, in turn, obtain not only animal disease protection but also trade advantages due to health assurances. Compartmentalisation ensures optimal use of government resources as the expenses for animal disease control are shared with private industries. International acceptance and standardisation of compartments is advocated as a measure to provide assurances for disease freedom, based on risk-specific mitigation measures.
Animal welfare in GLOBALG.A.P.'s integrated farm assurance standard for livestock: an industry perspective and example of a private and globally acting quality assurance system.
Aumüller RK, Coetzer E
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729565 · Publisher ↗
In recent decades, animal welfare in livestock production has been elevated to a topic of global interest. To meet growing requirements from consumers and society, governments have emphasised animal welfare in legislatio...
In recent decades, animal welfare in livestock production has been elevated to a topic of global interest. To meet growing requirements from consumers and society, governments have emphasised animal welfare in legislation. Retailers have integrated this topic into their quality assurance systems for the management of their supply chains. The challenge is to avoid conflicts between applicable national legislation and industry standards for quality assurance of livestock production with regard to animal welfare requirements. Where possible and applicable, private schemes refer to local animal welfare legislation, and offer the possibility to integrate animal welfare criteria that go beyond the legislation. Where animal welfare legislation is not in place, the private schemes set the rules. One of the main purposes of private schemes is to grant international market access to certified livestock producers. This paper presents the GLOBALG.A.P. integrated farm assurance (IFA) standard for livestock production and the GLOBALG.A.P. livestock transport standard as examples of private and globally acting quality assurance systems. Both standards integrate food safety, traceability, sustainability and animal welfare criteria. Animal welfare criteria are a fundamental part of IFA and, on average, account for 35% of the control points applicable to livestock. In the livestock transport standard, this accounts for 61% of the control points. Defined processes for accreditation and standard setting safeguard the reliability, feasibility and integrity of accredited third-party certification schemes. The GLOBALG.A.P. system also includes voluntary animal welfare add-on standards to demonstrate compliance with higher animal welfare requirements than those contained in the basic IFA standard. The possibility to customise products to the demands and requirements from specific markets and supply chains increases market access. Market access for producers irrespective of size is possible via single producer or group certification. Group certification offers the best opportunities for smallholders. For local supply chains the Primary Farm Assurance standard, based on parts of the GLOBALG.A.P. IFA standard, is a capacity-building tool. It is preferred by customers who do not require the full IFA standard because of local conditions, or because they source from producers who cannot immediately achieve full GLOBALG.A.P. certification.
Optimising traceability in trade for live animals and animal products with digital technologies.
Tripoli M, Schmidhuber J
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729564 · Publisher ↗
Sound animal traceability systems and supply chain management rely on data and information to respond to outcomes that will both protect animal and human health and facilitate trade. Digital technologies present opportun...
Sound animal traceability systems and supply chain management rely on data and information to respond to outcomes that will both protect animal and human health and facilitate trade. Digital technologies present opportunities and new methods for identifying and tracking animals, collecting more data, integrating communication flows, sharing data securely in supply chains, and analysing data to inform decisions and predict outcomes. Together, these technologies drive more efficient, productive and traceable supply chains, which can help to build more effective animal traceability systems. In addition, they can improve monitoring of, and response to, animal disease, food safety risks and food fraud risks; ensure compliance with animal health and food safety standards; simplify border procedures; facilitate trade with less friction; and raise consumer awareness. As the cost of these technologies decline and they become more accessible, the implementation of a digitally enabled animal traceability system will require an increase in supply chain capacity, improvements in digital infrastructure, and the development of a regulatory framework of standards and policies. Ensuring that these requirements are met will require strong commitment from governments, intergovernmental organisations and the wider animal health community.
National Veterinary Services and the private sector: the role of private veterinarians, aquatic animal health professionals and veterinary para-professionals in animal health and food safety assurance.
Gibbens N
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729563 · Publisher ↗
Establishing trust in national systems for assurance of animal health and food safety is a key step in any importing country's consideration of whether a potential trading partner can meet its appropriate level of protec...
Establishing trust in national systems for assurance of animal health and food safety is a key step in any importing country's consideration of whether a potential trading partner can meet its appropriate level of protection. Private veterinarians, veterinary para-professionals (VPPs) and aquatic animal health professionals (AAHPs) play a crucial role in national Veterinary Services, formally or informally, and across the whole spectrum of national animal and public health activities. Private veterinarians, AAHPs or VPPs are engaged as part of the national Veterinary Services and in various forms of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in many countries worldwide. In many cases, authorised private veterinarians, AAHPs and VPPs enable the national Veterinary or Aquatic Animal Health Services as a whole to do more work over a wider geographical area and thus have a greater impact than publicly employed professionals working alone. The deployment of private veterinarians, AAHPs and VPPs directly or in PPP arrangements strengthens national services and enhances their ability to deliver reliable animal health and food safety assurance. To ensure that private veterinarians, AAHPs and VPPs deliver to their full potential, effective and efficient systems for training, accreditation, monitoring and audit are essential. This article draws on data from published OIE Performance of Veterinary Services evaluations (from 2007 to the present) and unpublished responses to the OIE 2017 questionnaire on PPPs, to draw insights into the use and accreditation of private veterinarians, AAHPs and VPPs globally.
The World Trade Organization Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and veterinary control procedures.
Alcala R, Vitikkala H, Ferlet G
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729562 · Publisher ↗
World Trade Organization (WTO) Members have developed a framework of rules and guidance for veterinary control, inspection and approval procedures for international trade in animals and animal products. The core of this...
World Trade Organization (WTO) Members have developed a framework of rules and guidance for veterinary control, inspection and approval procedures for international trade in animals and animal products. The core of this guidance can be found in Article 8 and Annex C of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), which help Members to achieve the twin objectives of ensuring animal health and facilitating safe trade through their detailed disciplines. The issue of veterinary control, inspection and approval procedures frequently surfaces on the agenda of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures when Members discuss trade concerns or decide to explore this topic in periodic reviews of the SPS Agreement. The WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (2017), which was crafted to further expedite the movement and clearance of goods, brought additional structure to the design and operation of border procedures, including veterinary control procedures. The entry into force of the Trade Facilitation Agreement also increased, in many cases, the visibility and resources allocated to the operation of border controls, including international assistance. These processes provide further opportunities to enhance the profile of veterinary and other SPS agencies besides that of Customs, and to improve coordination among these various agencies and organisations.
Use of the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health in veterinary certificates.
Tan A
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729561 · Publisher ↗
International trade in animals and animal products results in economic, social and scientific benefits. The risk of the transmission of diseases that affect both animal and human health through the movement of animals an...
International trade in animals and animal products results in economic, social and scientific benefits. The risk of the transmission of diseases that affect both animal and human health through the movement of animals and animal products can be controlled by import health requirements. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is recognised by the World Trade Organization as the standard-setting body for international animal health standards covering the safe trade of animals and animal products. To ensure the safe trade of animals and animal products, without unnecessary restrictions, countries should harmonise their import health requirements with OIE standards. Governments should refer to the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code, Aquatic Animal Health Code, Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals, and Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals, standards that have been robustly developed to account for countries' differences in animal health status. Nevertheless, any determination of equivalence or requirement to achieve a higher level of protection should be based on risk analysis. Even though the use of OIE standards in veterinary certificates has benefits, there are several challenges that countries may encounter, such as legislative processes or inter-agency controls slowing down the flexibility of adopting import standards. Some countries may also encounter difficulties in meeting the standards due to operational practicalities. Although private standards have not been significantly involved in regulating animal health, this may present challenges to the universality and fairness of international standards in the future. Lastly, it is important to stay up to date with technology, such as electronic certification, that enhances the certification system for international trade to ensure the authenticity and efficiency of certification.
Trust in trade: a global perspective on health certification.
Grace D
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729560 · Publisher ↗
Trade in livestock and livestock products can bring about great benefits, but also substantial risk to animal and human health with high economic, social and environmental impacts. Livestock products are also especially...
Trade in livestock and livestock products can bring about great benefits, but also substantial risk to animal and human health with high economic, social and environmental impacts. Livestock products are also especially vulnerable to food fraud. In order to mitigate risk and prevent fraud, most animal trade requires health certification by a competent authority, backed by systems and processes that create trust and confidence in importers. Among Veterinary Services which have undergone a structured assessment of performance, most find the need to improve their authority and/or capability for health certificates and for transparent disease reporting. Health certification is trusted when it is legal, carried out by an adequately performing authority, implemented by competent persons, supported by technical evidence, and validated by third parties and when the process is transparent, predictable and free from conflict of interest. The large and growing trade in animals and their products is a testimony to the effectiveness of the current process and the trust of importers. Nonetheless, there is considerable scope for further improvement especially by improving the legal framework, building capacity of Veterinary Services, increasing trust in signing authorities, validating the certification process, and making the process of certification more efficient and predictable.
eCertification (eCert).
Cooper BS, Loopuyt P
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729559 · Publisher ↗
Veterinary certificates have been an integral component of animal and animal product trade for many years. These certificates are agreed to by trading partners during bilateral or multilateral negotiations on the trade o...
Veterinary certificates have been an integral component of animal and animal product trade for many years. These certificates are agreed to by trading partners during bilateral or multilateral negotiations on the trade of animals and animal products, and provide assurance that goods are free from specific diseases. Many countries seek to implement or adopt a more streamlined and secure method of information exchange, with some implementing the electronic exchange of certificates for cross-border trade. Such an exchange of data has many advantages over its paper counterpart, including a streamlined business process, better accessibility to information (particularly in advance of shipment arrival) and the reduction of fraudulent certificates. Although there are some challenges related to this initiative and important considerations to be taken into account for its implementation, many countries are becoming aware of its efficiencies, leading to more productive and mutually beneficial trading-partner relationships.
The World Organisation for Animal Health: notification of animal diseases.
Caceres P, Tizzani P, Ntsama F … +1 more , Mora R
Rev Sci Tech · 2020 Apr · PMID 32729558 · Publisher ↗
In a globalised world, accurate, complete and timely notification of the presence of animal diseases plays a crucial role in international trade. It allows countries at risk to take appropriate action to prevent the spre...
In a globalised world, accurate, complete and timely notification of the presence of animal diseases plays a crucial role in international trade. It allows countries at risk to take appropriate action to prevent the spread of transboundary diseases or minimise their impact, and thus mitigate the associated risks to animal and public health. In this context, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is responsible for rapidly and transparently sharing accurate and complete information on the global animal health situation. To do so, it collects, verifies, validates and disseminates the animal health information provided by its Members. Information on animal diseases, including zoonoses, is notified to the OIE in compliance with legally binding instruments between the OIE and its Members. Since the creation of the OIE in 1924, the type of animal disease information to be notified and the communication channels for its subsequent distribution to Members have been standardised and improved over time, taking advantage of the available tools and methods of mass dissemination of information. The continuous improvement of the OIE disease notification process has had positive effects, both in terms of animal disease prevention, control and eradication at a global level, and by facilitating the international trade of animals, their products and by-products.
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