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 Code Terr ENG2002.PDF
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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 sanitary safety of international trade in terrestrial animals (mammals, birds and bees) and their products, through the detailing of sanitary measures to be used by the veterinary authorities of importing and exporting countries to avoid the transfer of disease agents pathogenic for animals or humans, while facilitating international trade.
The sanitary measures in the Code (in the form of standards, guidelines and recommendations) have been formally adopted by the OIE International Committee, the general assembly of all Delegates of OIE Member Countries, which constitutes the organisation's highest decision-making body. This 11th edition incorporates the modifications to the Code agreed by the OIE International Committee during the 70th General Session in May 2002. These include revised chapters on the following subjects: general definitions, certification procedures, evaluation of Veterinary Services, zoning and regionalisation, foot and mouth disease, bluetongue, classical swine fever, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and bovine semen. As well, new chapters on 'Guidelines for the evaluation of Veterinary Services' (Chapter 1.3.4) and scrapie (Chapter 2.4.8), and a new appendix on 'General principles for recognising a country or zone free from a given disease/infection' (Appendix 3.8.1) were adopted and have been added to this edition of the Code.
The development of these standards, guidelines and recommendations is the result of the continuous work of one of the OIE's Specialist Commissions, the International Animal Health Code Commission. The Code Commission, which comprises six members experienced in regulatory veterinary science drawn from all OIE regions, meets several times yearly to address its work programme. The Code Commission works with internationally renowned specialists to prepare draft texts for new chapters of the Code or revise existing chapters in light of advances in veterinary science. The views of the Delegates of Member Countries are systematically sought through the circulation of draft and revised texts. As well, the Code Commission collaborates closely with the Fish Diseases Commission on issues needing a harmonised approach and with the Standards and the Foot and Mouth Disease and other Epizootics Commissions to ensure the Code Commission is utilising the latest scientific information in its work.
The value of the Code lies in the fact that measures published in it are the result of consensus among the veterinary authorities of OIE Member Countries.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) conferred on the OIE new responsibilities under international law by specifying that 'the standards, guidelines and recommendations developed under the auspices of the OIE' as the international standards for animal health and zoonoses. The SPS Agreement is aimed at establishing a multilateral framework of rules and disciplines to guide the development, adoption and enforcement of sanitary measures in order to minimise their negative effects on international trade. Essentially two options are available to Member Countries to provide a scientific justification for a sanitary measure. The first, and most encouraged by the WTO, is for veterinary authorities to base their sanitary measures on the OIE's international standards, guidelines and recommendations. Where these do not exist, or in cases where a government chooses to apply stricter measures, the importing country must be able to show that its measure is based on a scientific assessment of the potential health risks. The Code thus forms an integral part of the regulatory reference system established by the WTO.
The Code is published annually in the three official OIE languages (English, French and Spanish), and in Russian. The contents of the Code are available on the OIE Web site at http://www.oie.int.
The 'Users' Guide', which follows the foreword is designed to help veterinary authorities and other interested parties to use the various chapters of the Code efficiently and effectively, and to promote equitable access by all developing and developed countries to the world market in animals and animal products, according to their animal health status.