Transcript www.oie.int

Dr. Caroline Planté
OIE Sub-regional Representation in Brussels
OIE standards : main
objectives and mandates,
SPS agreement, obligation
and ethics in trade
Presentation of the OIE
SOME KEY FACTS
• Established in 1924: 172 Members in 2008
• Intergovernmental Organisation – predates the UN
• 5 Permanent OIE Regional Representations: Bamako (Mali), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Tokyo (Japan), Sofia
(Bulgaria) and Beirut (Lebanon)
• 4 OIE Sub-Regional Offices: Bangkok (Thailand), Gaborone (Botswana), Panama, Brussels (Belgium)
• 5 OIE Regional Commissions: Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East
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Rinderpest 1920 and OIE 1924
Cattle from India to Brazil via Antwerp
OIE MANDATE
Historical: ‘To prevent animal diseases
from spreading around the world’
The 4th Strategic Plan 2006/2010
extends the OIE’s global mandate to:
‘The improvement of animal health all
around the world’
OIE OBJECTIVES
ANIMAL HEALTH INFORMATION
to ensure transparency in the global animal disease and zoonosis
situation
to collect, analyse and disseminate scientific veterinary information
OIE OBJECTIVES
ACTIVITIES OF VETERINARY SERVICES
to provide expertise and encourage international solidarity in the
control of animal diseases
to improve the legal framework and resources of national Veterinary
Services
OIE OBJECTIVES
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
to safeguard world trade by publishing health standards for
international trade in animals and animal products (within its
WTO/SPS mandate)
to provide a better guarantee of food of animal origin and to promote
animal welfare through a science-based approach
OIE INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
 Section 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 Terr. Code / Section 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 Aquatic Code :
Obligations and ethics in international trade
- General obligations
- Certification procedures
Risk analysis
Import/Export procedures
SPS Agreement
SPS AGREEMENT
WTO : established 1st January 1995
152 countries
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement :
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/sps_e/sps_e.htm
The right to
protect human,
animal or plant
life or health
Avoiding
unnecessary
barriers to
trade
SPS AGREEMENT
Key provisions of the SPS Agreement
1- Non discrimination
2- Scientific justification
- Harmonisation
- Risk assessment
- Consistency
- Least trade restrictiveness
3- Equivalence
4- Regionalisation
5- Transparency
6- Technical ssistance/special treatment
7- Control, inspection and approval procedures
SPS AGREEMENT
SPS Measures
Definition – Annex A
=> A measure taken to protect
- Human or animal health FROM risks arrising from additives,
contaminants, toxins or disease
organisms in food, drink, feedstuff
- Human life
FROM plant- or animal-carried diseases
- Animal or plant life
FROM pests, diseases, disease-causing
organisms
- A country
FROM other damage caused by entry,
establishment or spread of pests
SPS AGREEMENT
Scientific justification
Based on scientific principles
Art 2.2
Members
shall ensure
that any SPS
measure is:
Applied only to the extent
necessary to protect human,
animal or plant life or health (least
trade restrictive)
Not maintained without sufficient
scientific evidence
Except as provided for in Art 5.7
OIE and SPS
WTO SPS Agreement recognises OIE as a reference
organisation for international standards (3 sisters)
food safety
CODEX
animal health
OIE
plant health
IPPC
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OIE and SPS
Role and responsability of OIE in the frame
of SPS Agreement (Terr. Code, art 1.3.1.2)
SPS Agreement strongly encourage that health measure be based
on international standard, guidelines and recommendations, where
they exist
 => OIE Codes and Manuals
If no standards exist or decision of importing country for higher level
of protection (stronger measures)
 => scientific justification is necessary
=> obligation to conduct risk analysis
(according to provisions laid down in OIE Code)
Obligation and ethics
in international trade
Factors taken into account
Consideration of animal health situation
in the exporting, transit and importing countries
Requirements:
- No exclusion of pathogens or animal
diseases which are present within the
territory of the importing country
which are not subject to any official control
programme.
-No higher measure than those applied
within the importing country
-No requirement for non OIE listed
diseases/pathogens (unless significant risk
for importing country => risk analysis)
Factors taken into account
Information from exporting country
• Notification/reporting
requirements
(prompt and comprehensive
information)
• Effectiveness of the systems for
animal disease surveillance and
ability to apply measure to control
and prevent relevant diseases
•Structure and authority of VS
Factors taken into account
• Capacity to control the establishment & application of
animal health measures and certification activities
=>Official procedures for authorisation of official
veterinarians
- Definition of function and duties
- Conditions for possible suspension of the
appointment
- Relevant instructions and training
-Monitoring of activities of certifying veterinarians
=> Assurance of integrity and
impartiality
Factors taken into account
Evaluation of VS : legal basis (Code)
from Article 1.3.4.1.
The purpose of evaluation may be:
 -to assist a national authority in the
decision-making process regarding
priorities for its own VS (self-evaluation)
(Chapters
1.3.3 / 1.3.4)
 -to assist the process of risk analysis in
international trade … to which official sanitary
and/or zoosanitary controls apply.
Factors taken into account
from Article 1.3.3.3
“Members should recognise the right of another Member
to undertake, or request it to undertake, an evaluation of
its VS where the initiating Member is an actual or
prospective importer, and where the evaluation is to be
a component of a risk analysis process which is to be
used to determine sanitary measures to be applied to
trade.”
Factors taken into account
Evaluation of VS : process
=> OIE-PVS tool designed to conduct the evaluation
of VS in accordance to the provisions of the Ter. Code
•Self evaluation performed by internal
and/or OIE experts
=> improve performance
•Evaluation relevant to bilateral
negotiations between trading countries
=> determine trade opportunities/sanitary
measures
Conclusion
World organisation for animal health
12 rue de prony
75017 Paris, France
Tel: 33 (0)1 44 15 18 88 – Fax: 33 (0)1 42 67 09 87
Email: [email protected]
http://www.oie.int