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International Animal Health Code - mammals, birds and bees

The aim of the International Animal Health Code (hereafter referred to as the Code) is to ensure the health security of international trade in animals (mammals, birds and bees) and animal products, through the detailed definition of health guarantees to be required of trading partners so as to avoid the transfer of disease agents that are pathogenic for animals or humans.
The set of recommendations codified herein also contributes greatly to the fluidity of international trade.
The recommendations contained in the Code have been formally adopted, in the form of 'Resolutions', by the OIE International Committee, the general assembly of all the Delegates of OIE Member Countries, which constitutes the organisation's highest decision-making body.
The development of these recommendations is the fruit of many years of continuous work by one of the OIE's Specialist Commissions, the International Animal Health Code Commission. The Commission calls on internationally renowned specialists to prepare draft texts for new chapters of the Code or revise existing chapters in light of advances in veterinary science. Furthermore, the views of the Delegates of Member Countries on the draft texts are systematically sought.
The authority of the Code is therefore based on the fact that it is the fruit of a consensus of the highest veterinary health authorities of the Member Countries.
The importance of the Code recommendations was considerably strengthened in 1995 by the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the coming into force of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement). The SPS Agreement is aimed at reducing to a minimum the negative effects of sanitary barriers to international trade by the elimination of any unjustified obstacles. To this end, it encourages members of the WTO to harmonise wherever possible the sanitary measures which they apply in order to ensure the protection of the health and lives of animals and humans through the use of international standards, guidelines and recommendations.
The international standards, guidelines and recommendations on animal health and zoonoses are defined in the SPS Agreement as "the standards, guidelines and recommendations developed under the auspices of the OIE".
The Code thus features among the regulatory references established by the WTO.
This 7th edition of the Code incorporates all the modifications made to the Code since the previous edition, published in 1992. It also includes recommended standards adopted by the International Committee on surveillance systems for certain animal diseases.
In view of the increasing volume of updates adopted during each General Session of the International Committee, a new edition of the Code will in future be published each year. The 8th edition is already in preparation, and should be available in September 1999.
The International Animal Health Code Commission recommends that users of the Code read the 'Guide', which follows the foreword, and the introduction to Part 3 of the Code, dealing with List B diseases. The advice contained therein should allow for a rational use of the Code, which promotes the equitable access of all developing and industrialised countries to the world market in animals and animal products according to their animal health status.