The OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (the Terrestrial Code) sets out standards for the improvement of animal health and welfare and veterinary public health worldwide, including through standards for safe international trade in terrestrial animals (mammals, birds and bees) and their products. The health measures in the Terrestrial Code should be used by the veterinary authorities of importing and exporting countries to provide for early detection, reporting and control agents pathogenic to animals or humans, and to prevent their transfer via international trade in animals and animal products, while avoiding unjustified sanitary barriers to trade.

The health measures in the Terrestrial Code have been formally adopted by the World Assembly of the Delegates of the OIE Members. This 21th edition incorporates the modifications to the Terrestrial Code agreed during the 80th General Session in May 2012.

The 21st edition incorporates modifications to the Terrestrial Code agreed at the 80th OIE General Session in May 2012. The 2012 edition includes revised information on the following subjects: glossary; notification of diseases and epidemiological information; criteria for the inclusion of diseases, infections and infestations on the OIE List; animal health surveillance; procedures for self declaration and for official recognition by the OIE; import risk analysis; evaluation of Veterinary Services; communication; application of compartmentalisation; collection and processing of bovine, small ruminant and porcine semen; collection and processing of in vivo derived embryos from livestock and horses; official health control of bee diseases; OIE procedures relevant to the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of the World Trade Organization; model veterinary certificate for international movements of dogs, cats and ferrets originating from countries considered infected with rabies; biosecurity procedures in poultry production; harmonization of national antimicrobial resistance surveillance and monitoring programmes; monitoring of the quantities and usage patterns of antimicrobial agents used in food producing animals; zoonoses transmissible from non-human primates; introduction to the recommendations for animal welfare; use of animals in research and education; Aujeszky's disease; rabies; African horse sickness; equine influenza; equine viral arteritis; avian influenza; and rabbit haemorrhagic disease.

This edition includes two new chapters on veterinary legislation and animal welfare and beef cattle production systems and incorporates a new model veterinary certificate for international trade in laboratory animals.

The development of these standards and recommendations is the result of the continuous work since 1960 of one of the OIE's Specialist Commissions, the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission. The first Terrestrial Code was published in 1968. This Commission draws upon the expertise of internationally renowned specialists to prepare draft texts for new articles of the Terrestrial Code or revise existing articles in the light of advances in veterinary science.

The value of the Terrestrial Code is twofold: that the measures published in it are the result of consensus among the veterinary authorities of OIE Members, and that it constitutes a reference within the World Trade Organization Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures as an international standard for animal health and zoonoses.

The OIE Terrestrial Code is a reference document for use by Veterinary Authorities, import/export services, epidemiologists and all those involved in international trade.

A users' guide is available.

The Terrestrial Code is published annually in paper form in the three official OIE languages (English, French and Spanish), and in Russian. The contents of the 2012 version of the Terrestrial Code can be consulted in Web format.

Contact: trade.dept@oie.int