OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code and Workshop for OIE National Focal Points for Aquatic Animals Byblos, Lebanon 12 – 14 August 2013 Gillian Mylrea OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code and Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals - trade facilitating standards Gillian Mylrea Deputy Head OIE International Trade Department, Paris, France 1

Contents The World Trade Organization SPS Agreement and role and responsibility of the OIE The OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code The OIE Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals

WTO SPS Agreement and role and responsibility of the OIE

General mandate of the OIE: Protecting animals, preserving our future One of the OIE’s main objectives ‘to safeguard world trade by publishing health standards for international trade in animals and animal products’

the right to protect human, animal, plant life or health WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures – (SPS Agreement) Objective of the SPS Agreement? Recognizes the right to protect human, animal, plant life or health Avoiding unnecessary barriers to trade Entered into force with the establishment of the WTO on 1 January, 1995

SPS Agreement - Article 2.1 “Members have the right to take sanitary and phytosanitary measures necessary for the protection of human, animal or plant life or health, provided that such measures are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement”

International Standard-Setting Organizations SPS Agreement Article 3 International Standard-Setting Organizations (the ‘3 sisters’) food safety CODEX plant health IPPC animal health/zoonoses OIE ’Harmonisation - WTO Members shall base their SPS measures on international stds, where they exist’

SPS Agreement - Article 3.3 A country setting import health measures has 2 options: based on an OIE international standard; OR Import Risk Analysis: in the absence of a relevant standard; or when a Member chooses to adopt a higher level of protection than that provided by the OIE standard. 8

Terrestrial Animal Health Code – mammals, birds and bees OIE INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS Terrestrial Animal Health Code – mammals, birds and bees Aquatic Animal Health Code -amphibians, crustaceans, fish and molluscs Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals Comments (with copyright) / Commentaires (soumis au Copyright) : available on the OIE Website

The OIE standards applicable to international trade in aquatic animals and aquatic animal products are in the: Aquatic Animal Health Code and the Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals

Purpose of the Aquatic Code? Recommends measures to be used by Veterinary Authorities or other Competent Authorities: to establish health regulations for the safe importation of aquatic animals and their products (to protect animal and human health) while avoiding unjustified trade restrictions Also includes: recommendations for the prevention and control of aquatic animal diseases welfare of farmed fish (to improve aquatic animal health and welfare worldwide)

Critical aspects of the Aquatic Code and Manual do not use them as textbooks on diseases use them as international standards to evaluate and determine measures to use to protect aquatic animal health associated with trade of aquatic animals and their products ensure that the application of the standards for national health measures are in accordance with obligations under the WTO SPS Agreement.

Information available in the Aquatic Code Zoning & compartmentalisation Guidelines for risk analysis Quality of Aquatic Animal Health Services Criteria for disease freedom Conditions for trade Model export certificates Surveillance for disease Disease reporting obligations Transport of farmed fish OIE listed diseases Procedures for aquatic animal waste disposal Responsible and prudent use of antimicrobial agents Stunning and killing of farmed fish for human consumption 14

Aquatic Code – ‘Horizontal’ chapters User’s guide Glossary Section 1 : Animal disease diagnosis, surveillance and notification Notification of diseases and epidemiological information Criteria for listing aquatic animal diseases Diseases listed by the OIE Aquatic animal health surveillance Section 2 : Risk analysis Import risk analysis * (revised version adopted May 2012) Section 3 : Quality of Aquatic Animal Health Services Quality of Aquatic Animal Health Services Communication* (adopted May 2012) Some of these chapters will be discussed in more detail in other presentations

‘Horizontal’ chapters (cont…) Section 4: General recommendations: disease prevention and control Zoning/compartmentalisation Application of compartmentalisation Recommendations on disinfection Contingency planning Fallowing in aquaculture Handling, disposal and treatment of aquatic animal waste* (adopted May 2010) Section 5: Trade measures, import/export procedures and health certification General obligations for certification Certification procedures OIE procedures releavant to the WTO SPS Agreement (adopted May 2013) Criteria to assess safety of aquatic animal commodities* (adopted May 2010) Safe transport Measures applicable before, during transit, on arrival of commodities Border posts Model health certificates for international trade Some of these chapters will be discussed in more detail in other presentations

Horizontal’ chapters (cont…) Section 6: Veterinary Public Health Control of hazards in aquatic animal feeds Introduction to recommendations for controlling antimicrobial resistance Principles for responsible and prudent use of antimicrobial agents in aquatic animals* (adopted May 2011) Monitoring of the quantities and usage patterns of antimicrobial agents used in aquatic animals * (adopted May 2012) Development and harmonisation of national antimicrobial resistance surveillance and monitoring programmes for aquatic animals * (adopted May 2012) Section 7: Welfare of Farmed Fish Transport Stunning and killing for human consumption* (adopted May 2010) Killing for disease control purposes* (adoption 2012)

Disease specific chapters Section 8: Diseases of Amphibians 2 OIE-listed amphibian diseases Section 9: Diseases of Crustaceans 8 OIE-listed crustacean diseases Section 10: Diseases of Fish 9 OIE-listed fish diseases Section 11: Diseases of Molluscs 7 OIE-listed mollusc diseases

Each specific disease chapter includes: Recommendations to prevent the disease in question being introduced into the importing country: definition of the pathogen / disease; list of host species that are susceptible to the disease and are internationally traded; list of ‘safe’ commodities (irrespective of disease status); how to determine the free status of a country, zone or compartment recommendations for importations of aquatic animal commodities from a country, zone or compartment declared free taking into account the nature of the commodity (live or dead); intended purpose (e.g. aquaculture, aquatic animal feed) recommendations for importations of aquatic animal commodities from a country, zone or compartment not declared free (taking into account the nature of the commodity (live or dead); intended purpose (e.g. aquaculture, aquatic animal feed)

Use the Aquatic Code to: provide guidance for the setting up and implementation of efficient aquatic animal health policies at national level evaluate and determine measures to ensure safe trade of aquatic animals and their products evaluate the Quality of the Aquatic Animal Health Services (the Competent Authority) the ‘OIE PVS Tool: Aquatic’ enables a formal evaluation of an AAHS to establish baseline arguments to establish equivalence for trade negotiations to establish cost-effective risk mitigation measures for trade use the Codes and Manuals to challenge scientific unjustifiable sanitary measures of trading partners.

Aquatic Code Glossary Defines terms that are used in a specific manner in the Code Examples Disease means ‘clinical or non clinical infection with one or more aetiological agents’ Aquatic Animal Health Professional Aquatic Animal Health Services Competent Authority Veterinary Authority Certifying official Compartment

Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals provides information on diagnostic tests provides a uniform approach to the detection of the diseases listed in the OIE Aquatic Code ensures that the requirements for health certification in connection with disease prevention and control programmes, and trade in aquatic animals and their products can be met includes some chapters on de-listed diseases and non-listed diseases

Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals new/revised chapters are always adopted at the OIE General Session 7th edition (printed edition) was adopted in 2012 (all chapters updated except ISA) 7th edition (2012) is available in hard copy new printed edition produced every 3 years to manage the workload, a few chapters will be revised each year chapters adopted at the General Session between printed editions are added to the web version, thus, the on-line version is always the most recenthapters adopted between printed editions are added to the web version, thus the on-line English version is always the most recent

Conclusions In the WTO SPS Agreement, the rules-based framework for international trade, the OIE is the reference standard setting organisation for animal diseases, including zoonoses The application of OIE standards helps to facilitate safe trade by avoiding the imposition of unjustified trade barriers and, at the same time, preventing the spread of diseases globally OIE Standards are a Country’s legal weapon for fair trade in aquatic animal health and welfare Recommendations are the same for all countries, the internal coordination is each Country’s responsibility. Note: If countries apply OIE standards their WTO obligations under the SPS Agreement are met.

Available on the OIE website Codes and Manuals (free) At the OIE online bookshop: Risk Analysis Handbook (Vols I & II) Guidelines to Aquatic Animal Health Surveillance http://www.oie.int 27

OIE support to Members: OIE provides information and guidance to help Member countries to meet their obligations, e.g. Devising import health measures http://www.oie.int/international-standard-setting/overview/devising-import- measures/ Standard setting – the Codes http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/A_ OIE_procedures_stand___recom_2011.pdf Legal rights and obligations of OIE Members http://www.oie.int/international-standard-setting/overview/legal-rights-and- obligations/ Importing countries should consider the exporting country’s sanitary status, as relevant to the animals or animal products that are to be traded. Relevant data are contained in the WAHID database, which is accessible on the OIE Web site 4. WAHID contains much useful information, including in the six monthly reports describing the status of each country with regard to OIElisted diseases and in other useful information provided by Members. It is useful for Members to compare the sanitary situation between the importing country and the exporting country, based on data in the most recent six monthly reports. As established in the WTO SPS Agreement, an importing country has the right to choose its appropriate level of protection for animal health, plant protection and food safety matters. As stated in the Code, import conditions must take account of the animal health situation of both the importing country and the exporting country, as relevant to the animals/animal products to be traded. The importing country should not impose measures in relation to diseases or pathogens that are not listed by the OIE, unless the disease or pathogen has been identified as presenting a significant risk on the basis of an import risk analysis conducted according to Section 2 of the Terrestrial Code 5 (2009). The importing country should not impose sanitary measures for diseases or pathogens that occur in the importing country and are not the subject of official controls. Where official controls are implemented, the measures applied to imported animals/animal products should not be more restrictive than those applied nationally to similar animals/animal products under the official control programme. Importing countries should publish a list of their border posts for imported animals and animal products. This helps to promote international trade since it provides information that helps exporting countries to make arrangements for importation to take place effectively and efficiently.

Thank you for your attention