Irreparable Global Spread of Pathogens and International Trade – Sanitary Requirements

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.