<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Sanitary requirements for international trade in animals and their products are regulated by World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). None of them requires exported animal commodities to be of full sanitary quality, i.e. to be free of pathogens causing mass suffering and premature death of immense numbers of animals and humans. Both organizations using different methods try to avoid requirements of importing countries for pathogen-free animal commodity. They support the exporting countries at the expense of health in the importing ones that are not self-sufficient in animal production and thus contribute to worldwide man-made spreading of pathogens through “legal” trade. They ignore the global irreparable consequences of their common “trade over health” policy. They also deprive the importing countries of freedom to reject goods having no sanitary harmlessness guarantee. They ignore pathogen reproduction/spreading/resistance abilities and the fact that every case is different. Admitting pathogen spread is in stark contrast to the only duty of the OIE. It is therefore recommended: Documents and provisions supporting pathogen spread through “legal” international trade to be immediately abolished; to use and apply normal free market fair trade principles for animal commodities, i.e. full quality requirements based on demands of the importing country to avoid pathogen introduction and on bilateral agreement without any external interference. State animal health services must be significantly strengthened to be able to control international trade on-the-spot and organize infection control/eradication programmes. Modern action-oriented epizootiology methods have to be used. All intergovernmental anti-epizootic agenda should be concentrated in United Nations Organization and dealt with as a priority programme to protect global health and life.</p></abstract>

Sanitary requirements for international trade in animals and their products are regulated by World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). None of them requires exported animal commodities to be of full sanitary quality, i.e. to be free of pathogens causing mass suffering and premature death of immense numbers of animals and humans. Both organizations using different methods try to avoid requirements of importing countries for pathogen-free animal commodity. They support the exporting countries at the expense of health in the importing ones that are not self-sufficient in animal production and thus contribute to worldwide man-made spreading of pathogens through “legal” trade. They ignore the global irreparable consequences of their common “trade over health” policy. They also deprive the importing countries of freedom to reject goods having no sanitary harmlessness guarantee. They ignore pathogen reproduction/spreading/resistance abilities and the fact that every case is different. Admitting pathogen spread is in stark contrast to the only duty of the OIE. It is therefore recommended: Documents and provisions supporting pathogen spread through “legal” international trade to be immediately abolished; to use and apply normal free market fair trade principles for animal commodities, i.e. full quality requirements based on demands of the importing country to avoid pathogen introduction and on bilateral agreement without any external interference. State animal health services must be significantly strengthened to be able to control international trade on-the-spot and organize infection control/eradication programmes. Modern action-oriented epizootiology methods have to be used. All intergovernmental anti-epizootic agenda should be concentrated in United Nations Organization and dealt with as a priority programme to protect global health and life.

Irreparable Global Spread of Pathogens and International Trade – Sanitary Requirements

Department of Animal Science and Food Processing, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic; Former Chief, Animal Health Service, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy

Agricultura Tropica et Subtropica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Sanitary requirements for international trade in animals and their products are regulated by World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Organisation for Animal...

Irreparable Global Spread of Pathogens and International Trade – Sanitary Requirements

Published Online: Dec 22, 2015

Page range: 105 - 114

Received: Jul 17, 2015

Accepted: Nov 02, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ats-2015-0014

Keywords
potential bioterror, global epizootiology, absence of guarantee, extinction, invisible enemy, OIE Code, OIE policy, risk assessment, unfair trade, WTO/SPS

© 2015 Agricultura Tropica et Subtropica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Irreparable Global Spread of Pathogens and International Trade – Sanitary Requirements

Published Online: Dec 22, 2015

Page range: 105 - 114

Received: Jul 17, 2015

Accepted: Nov 02, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ats-2015-0014

Keywordspotential bioterror, global epizootiology, absence of guarantee, extinction, invisible enemy, OIE Code, OIE policy, risk assessment, unfair trade, WTO/SPS

© 2015 Agricultura Tropica et Subtropica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
potential bioterror, global epizootiology, absence of guarantee, extinction, invisible enemy, OIE Code, OIE policy, risk assessment, unfair trade, WTO/SPS