1. Food safety from the OIE perspective
OIE / FAO-APHCA Regional Workshop on Food Safety (Animal Origin)
Chang Mai, October 2007
Willem Droppers
Chargé de Mission

2. Content
OIE
Veterinary services
Standards
Food safety

3. World Organisation for Animal Health
founded in 1924 by countries
predates the U.N.
an intergovernmental organisation
World Organisation for Animal Health
Common name adopted by the International Committee in May 2003
Comments (with copyright) / Commentaires (soumis au Copyright) :

4. OIE World Organisation for Animal Health
an intergovernmental organisation
operating expenses are paid by Member Country contributions
founded in 1924 – predates the UN
170 Member Countries
headquarters in Paris
9 Regional offices (Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Beyrouth, Bamako, Sofia, Gaborone, Bangkok, Brussels, Panama)
I do not think that all of you are really familiar with the OIE and its objective which is important to understand the activities of the OIE and place them in the right perspective.
Since the OIE is an intergovernmental organization the operating expenses are paid by member country contributions. In 1920, rinderpest occurred unexpectedly in Belgium, as a result of zebus, originating from India and destined for Brazil, transiting via the port of Antwerp. 28 States among them Thailand founded in 1924 the OIE.

5. Americas: 29 – Africa: 52 – Europe: 49
170 Members 49 13 27 52 29
Americas: 29 – Africa: 52 – Europe: 49
Middle East: 13 – Asia: 27

6. Regional Representations
INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE
Administrative Commission
Director General
Specialist Commissions Terrestrial Code, Aquatic Animals, Biological Standards, Scientific
Regional Commissions
Africa, Americas, Europe, Asia-Far East and Oceania, Middle East
Central Bureau
Collaborating Centres
Reference Laboratories
Ad hoc Groups
Working Groups
Administrative
and Financial
Department
Animal Health
Information
Department
International Trade
Department
Scientific and
Technical
Department
Regional Activities
Department
Publications
Department
Regional Representations

7. OIE’s objectives ensure transparency in global animal health situation
collect, analyse and disseminate scientific veterinary information on control methods of animal diseases
contribute expertise and encourage coordinated approach to disease outbreaks
improve veterinary services
within its WTO mandate, safeguard world trade through animal health standards
animal welfare and animal production food safety 1
Each Member Country undertakes to report the animal diseases that it detects on its territory. The OIE then disseminates the information to other countries, which can take the necessary preventive action. This information also includes zoonoses (diseases transmissible to humans) and intentional introduction of pathogens. 2
The OIE collects and analyses the latest scientific information on animal disease control. This information is then made available to the Member Countries to help them to improve the methods used to control and eradicate these diseases. Guidelines are prepared by the network of 156 OIE Coolaborating Centres and Reference Laboratories across the world. 3
The OIE provides technical support to Member Countries requesting assistance with animal disease control and eradication operations, including diseases transmissible to humans. The OIE notably offers expertise to the poorest countries to help them control animal diseases that cause livestock losses, present a risk to public health and threaten other Member Countries.
The OIE has a permanent contact to international regional and national financial organizations in order to convince them to invest more and better on the control of animal diseases and zoonosis. 4
The Veterinary Services and laboratories of developing and transition countries are in urgent need of support to provide them with the necessary infrastructure, resources and capacities that will enable their countries to benefit more fully from the WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (SPS Agreement) while at the same time providing greater protection for animal health and public health and reducing the threat for other countries which are free of diseases. The OIE considers the Veterinary Services as a Global Public Good and their bringing into line with international standards (structure, organisation, resources, capacities, role of paraprofessionals) as a public investment priority. 5
The OIE develops normative documents relating to rules that Member Countries can use to protect themselves from the introduction of diseases and pathogens, without setting up unjustified sanitary barriers. The main normative works produced by the OIE are: the International Animal Health Code, the Manual of Standards for Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines, the International Aquatic Animal Health Code and the Diagnostic Manual for Aquatic Animal Diseases. OIE standards are recognised by the World Trade Organization as reference international sanitary rules. They are prepared by elected Specialist Commissions and by Working Groups bringing together internationally renowned scientists, most of whom are experts within the network of 156 Collaborating Centres and Reference Laboratories that also contribute towards the scientific objectives of the OIE. These standards are adopted by the International Committee.
6 The OIE Member Countries have decided to provide a better guarantee of the safety of food of animal origin by creating greater synergy between the activities of the OIE and those of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. (The OIE's standard-setting activities in this field focus on eliminating potential hazards existing prior to the slaughter of animals or the primary processing of their products (meat, milk, eggs, etc.) that could be a source of risk for consumers.) Since it was created, the OIE has played a key role in its capacity as the sole international reference organisation for animal health, enjoying established international recognition and benefiting from direct collaboration with the Veterinary Services of all its Member Countries. As a mark of the close relationship between animal health and animal welfare, the OIE has become, at the request of its Member Countries, the leading international organisation for animal welfare

8. Good Governance: Veterinary Services
crucial need for appropriate legislation and strict implementation through appropriate national animal health systems allowing:
Early detection
Transparency, Notification and
Rapid response to animal disease outbreaks

9. Model Veterinary Legislation
model to advise Members that wish to develop or update part or all of their veterinary legislation
scope: animal health (including epidemiosurveillance and disease notification) and veterinary public health (including food safety and prevention of zoonotic diseases)
structuring their legislation along the recommended lines will allow Members to participate more effectively in international trade through compliance with OIE and relevant SPS standards

10. Veterinary Services
building and maintaining efficient (epidemio) surveillance networks covering the entire national territory, potentially for all animal diseases, including zoonoses and emerging diseases, is a responsibility of all Governments
if one country fails, it may endanger the entire planet
Veterinary Services are an International Public Good

11. PVS (Performance of Veterinary Services)
evaluation of legislation and Veterinary Services resources, using the PVS (Performance of Veterinary Services) instrument adopted by all Member Countries
gap analysis to prioritize national
and international investments
role of livestock owners, private
practitioners and stakeholders, alliances

12. OIE's WTO mandate
WTO SPS Agreement recognises OIE as a reference organisation for international standards
(one of the “ 3 sisters”)
The WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement)

13. OIE's WTO mandate Standard-setting organisations CODEX IPPC OIE
food safety
CODEX
plant health
IPPC
animal health and zoonoses
OIE
Codex = Codex Alimentarius Commission (FAO/WHO)
OIE = World Organisation for Animal Health
IPPC = International Plant Protection Convention (FAO)
The WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) .

14. Why standards necessary
enhance safety of international trade
fewer disease outbreaks
encourage harmonisation of national legislation and control measures
fewer unjustified restrictions on trade
promote fairer trade
benefits to developing countries especially
international public good

15. OIE Standards
sanitary measures to be used by veterinary or other competent authorities faced with animal diseases including zoonoses
health regulations, including surveillance guidelines, to prevent importations of pathogens, including those transmissible to humans, while avoiding unjustified sanitary barriers
diagnostic methods to be used by laboratories
OIE standards help in controlling animal diseases and zoonoses world wide

16. OIE International Standards
Terrestrial Animal Health Code – mammals, birds and bees
available on the
OIE Website (
Aquatic Animal Health Code – fish, molluscs and crustaceans
Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals
Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals

17. BSE
Lancet 1996; 347:
a new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the UK
R G Will, J W Ironside, M Zeidler, S N Cousens, K Estibeiro, A Alperovitch, S Poser, M Pocchiari, A Hofman, P G Smith
This article in the Lancet in 1996 proved definitively that BSE was transmissible to humans. It promoted BSE from a possible zoonosis to a zoonosis. Until now the most important zoonosis in international trade. It underlined the importance of the OIE standards for Food Safety.

18. OIE’s food safety goal
to reduce food borne risks to human health by preventing, eliminating or controlling hazards arising from animals
Control and/or reduction of hazards of public health and animal health importance at level of production and by ante- and post-mortem inspection is a core responsibility of Veterinary Services.
Governments are increasing resources to protect public health against food-borne diseases of animal origin. Globalization of trade in food is resulting in increased attention to biosecurity and the potential for transmission of animal pathogens via food.
60% of human pathogens are zoonotic 80% of animal pathogens are multi-host 75% of emerging diseases are zoonotic
Worldwide
2 million people die from diarrhea caused by contaminated food and water each year
Historically, Veterinary Services have focused on animal disease control and export certification
Veterinary Public Health is not well addressed by Veterinary Services or Veterinary Curriculum
Food Safety aspects have often been dealt with by other Agencies, and even other Ministries
Food-borne disease is generally recognized as an important public health problem and an important cause of decreased economic productivity in both developed and developing countries.
3rd OIE Strategic Plan for recommended that "OIE should be more active in the area of public health and consumer protection," and noted that this should include "zoonoses and diseases transmissible to humans through food, whether or not animals are affected by such diseases", with the object of improving the "production to consumption" food safety continuum worldwide. The recently adopted 4th OIE Strategic Plan continues this mandate recommending that the Working Group "continue to work with other relevant organisations, especially the Codex Alimentarius Commission, in reducing foodborne risks to human health due to hazards arising from animals".

20. OIE food safety work coordinated by
Animal Production Food Safety
Working Group
In 2002 the Animal Production Food Safety Working Group was established.

21. APFS Working Group manages the OIE’s food safety work program
terms of Reference
to consider food-borne hazards arising from animals before slaughter and before processing of the product
primary focus is on food safety measures applicable at the farm level
to develop a work programme taking account of food safety priorities and work of relevant international organisations, especially Codex
The Working group acts as a steering committe on food safety for OIE.

22. Food safety priorities
role and function of veterinary services throughout the food chain
good farming practice
zoonotic diseases
antimicrobial resistance
traceability of animals
animal feed
Control and/or reduction of hazards of public health and animal health importance at level of production and by ante- and post-mortem inspection is a core responsibility of Veterinary Services.
In a global regulatory environment, more and more primary responsibility is placed on industry for ensuring biosecurity in relation to human and animal health. Veterinary Services must exercise their responsibilities in a cost-effective, transparent and interdisciplinary manner. The OIE provides recommendations on control of food-borne hazards during primary production, inspection regimes for animals and products of animal origin and on certification of meat. Unavailability of risk assessment information for the whole food chain, prevents the OIE from providing the most appropriate mitigation measures at farm level.

23. OIE - Codex
close cooperation, despite no formal agreement between OIE and Codex
this needs to be mirrored by cooperation at the national and regional levels
to avoid gaps and duplication in the development of standards
OIE – Codex cooperation

24. OIE- Codex coordination
mechanisms
joint development of standards
mutual recognition of standards
clear linkages between standards
Codex Alimentarius is responsible for developing standards on food safety and public health, while OIE is responsible for standards in animal health and zoonoses. An increased collaboration between OIE and CAC will ensure standards that bridge public and animal health interests in the ‘production to consumption continuum’.

25. OIE-Codex Coordination
OIE participates in several Codex Committees
General Principles
Meat Hygiene
Milk (Products)
Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Food
CCFICS (Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems)
Task Force on Foods derived from Biotechnology
Task Force on Animal Feeding
And of course the Codex Alimentarius Commission

26. OIE Standards on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
guidelines for the harmonisation of national AMR surveillance and monitoring programmes
guidelines for monitoring the quantities of antimicrobials used in animal husbandry
guidelines for responsible and prudent use of antimicrobial agents in veterinary medicine
risk assessment for AMR arising from the use of antimicrobials in animals

27. AMR – other work
OIE/FAO/WHO expert meetings recommended the creation of a Joint Codex/OIE Task Force on AMR
Codex is convening an Intergovernmental Task Force on AMR, which is being hosted by Korea.
23-26 october 2007

28. Good farming practices Joint OIE / FAO ad hoc Group
drafts a Guide to good farming practices
the audience: Competent Authorities (CA) and stakeholders, especially producers
to complement the responsibilities of the CA at the farm level

29. Role and functions of the veterinary services in food safety
APFSWG asked for the development of a guidance document to assist in providing effective linkages between animal health and public health functions
Veterinary Services’ activities associated with meat production systems extend beyond public and animal health, ensuring adequate animal welfare and preventing degradation of the environment by contamination with animal wastes and animal products.
Collaboration and interdependence between public health and animal health authorities at a national, regional and international level are crucial in the control of the food safety risks of today, but more importantly, they are essential for confronting the emerging food-borne diseases of the future.

30. Certification
OIE is collaborating with Codex in regard to the development of combined certificates for animal products.
OIE ad hoc Group reviews current guidance on veterinary certification, including updating model certificates
taking account of Codex and UN-CEFACT work in this area and
ensuring compatibility with electronic certification systems
Cooperation with CCIFICS. UN-CEFACT = United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business

31. Ante- and post-mortem meat inspection
since May 2006, the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code has included an Appendix on
“Guidelines for the control of biological hazards of animal health and public health importance through ante- and post-mortem meat inspection”
Link with CCMH. The collaboration between authorities responsible for public and animal health must also occur at national levels. The duality of objectives at ante- and post-mortem inspection is just one of the areas for integration and collaboration.
The public and animal health risks associated with animals at slaughter vary significantly in different regions and husbandry systems, therefore the ante- and post-mortem inspection must be tailored to each individual situation and designed according to a risk-based approach.
Veterinary Services’ ante- and post-mortem inspection include: Risk assessment
Establishment of policies and measures
Design and management of inspection programs to deliver public and animal health objectives
Assurance and certification of appropriate delivery
Dissemination of information throughout the chain
Notification of presence of notifiable diseases
Conformity with WTO obligations
Risk-based approaches to meat-borne risks to human health are demonstrating that unseen microbiological contaminants, rather than grossly-apparent abnormalities at ante- and post mortem inspection are the most important source of hazards. This has led to combat these hazards through HACCP systems, Veterinary involvement in risk assessment associated with ante- and post- mortem inspection is essential. Institutional approaches that bridge public and animal health sectors at national level replace traditional focus on regulating individual production systems, shifting to one of ensuring confidence overall regulatory frameworks at all levels
Risk-based approaches to zoonoses is will illustrated in the OIE Chapter on BSE. Surveillance and mitigation strategies should be determined by, and be commensurate with the outcome of a risk assessment.

32. Bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis
chapters in the Terrestrial Code 2007 address food safety aspects in articles dealing with meat and milk, including appropriate references to Codex Codes of Hygienic Practice
ongoing work on Bovine brucellosis and Bovine tuberculosis
Actually only Bovine tuberculosis deals with food safety aspects. Ante- and post-mortem meat inspection can be used as surveillance system for Bovine tuberculosis.

33. Animal identification and traceability
Comments (with copyright) / Commentaires (soumis au Copyright) :

34. Animal identification and traceability
Code 2007 contains general principles and references relevant Codex texts
ad hoc group is drafting further guidance
OIE aims to establish broad approaches based on desired outcomes rather than prescribing specific standards
Codex Principles for Traceability/Product Tracing as a Tool within a Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification System contain references to relevant OIE texts
in 2009 Joint OIE / Codex conference in Buenos Aires
The health status of the farm of origin and the husbandry of the animals has a significant effect on the safety and wholesomeness of the meat and should therefore influence the ante- and post- mortem inspection. Adequate animal identification and record keeping systems are essential

35. Animal feed
AHG drafts guidelines for the control of hazards of animal health and public health importance in animal feed, which will be complementary to Codex guidelines
general principles will be proposed first
followed by specific recommendations on steps in commercial and on farm feed production

36. Salmonellosis
AHG drafts Code chapter which addresses on farm methods for detection, control and prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium in laying hens
future work:
review the Code Chapter on hygiene and disease security procedures in poultry breeding flocks and hatcheries, to assure consistency between the texts
develop guidelines on the detection, control and prevention of Salmonella in broilers

37. References Rev. Sci. Tech. 2006: Animal production food
safety challenges in
global markets
OIE 4th Strategic Plan

38. Key areas of Future Work
model certificates
animal identification and traceability
role and functions of VS in food safety
good farming practices
animal feeding
salmonellosis in broilers
food borne zoonoses
antimicrobial resistance

39. Thank you for your attention

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Organisation Mondiale de la Santé Animale
World Organisation for Animal Health
Organización Mundial de Sanidad Animal
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