Office International des pizooties

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Office International des Épizooties World
Organisation for Animal Health
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International Commitments of Veterinary Services

Dr Bernard Vallat Director-General OIE
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Veterinary services

• Veterinary Services are facing serious
  challenges, due to
• globalisation of trade
• organisational and financial pressures
• Especially in developing countries
• wanting to protect animal production
• wanting to avoid risks for human populations
• wanting to participate in international trade
• but facing difficulties in meeting international
  standards
• Veterinary Services should be regarded as an
  investment in the future

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Challenges for vet services

• Protection of animal production from animal
  diseases and human populations from zoonoses and
  participation in international trade requires
  significant investments
• technical, administrative and financial
• A major challenge is meeting demands of
  international community and trading partners for
  accurate information on animal health status
• prime responsibility as Member Country of OIE

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OIEs main objectives

• Ensure transparency in global animal health
  situation
• Collect, analyse and disseminate science-based
  veterinary information
• Contribute expertise and encourage international
  coordination against animal diseases
• Produce health standards to safeguard
  international trade in animals and animal
  products
• Improve legal framework and resources of
  Veterinary Services

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OIE International Standards

• Sanitary status regarding several animal diseases
  and zoonoses
• Health standards for trade in animals and animal
  products
• Biological standards of diagnostic techniques and
  vaccines
• Developed through Specialist Commissions
• Applicable to all Member Countries

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Underpinning OIE standards

• Animal health claims need to be supported by
  structures and procedures
• OIE Code helps to provide this support through
  standards and guidelines
• applying to quality and evaluation of Veterinary
  Services (see relevant chapters of the
  Terrestrial Animal Health Code )
• International standards recognised as references
  of the SPS Agreement of WTO

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Information needs

• Information requested of Member Country may
  include
• structure, roles and responsibilities of
  Veterinary Services, including field services
• disease surveillance and notification systems
• animal health status
• import/export history
• Member Country obliged to provide accurate
  information in timely manner

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Quality of vet services

• Approach in OIE Code based on fundamental
  principles of ethical, organisational and
  technical nature
• Veterinary Services should conform to these
  principles regardless of political, economic or
  social situation
• Conformity is important to confidence of trading
  partners

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Fundamental principles

• Professional judgement
• Independence
• Impartiality
• Integrity
• Objectivity

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Fundamental principles 2

• Sound general organisation
• Quality policy
• Appropriate procedures and standards
• Communication
• Self-evaluation

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Evaluation of vet services

• Need to base on OIE Code guidelines
• Applicable to evaluation of Veterinary Services
  of another country or of countrys own Veterinary
  Services
• Countries have right to evaluate Veterinary
  Services of potential trading partner
• Relative ranking of criteria may depend on
  circumstances

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Purpose of evaluation

• Purpose of evaluation may be
• to assist a national authority in the
  decision-making process regarding resources and
  priorities to be given to its own Veterinary
  Services (self evaluation) or
• part of a risk analysis process to determine the
  health measures which an importing country will
  use to protect its human or animal population
  (evaluation for trade)

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Scope of evaluation

• Organisational structure of Veterinary Services
• Human resources
• Material (including financial) resources
• Functional capabilities and legislative support
• Animal health and veterinary public health
  controls
• Formal quality systems
• Performance assessment and audit programmes
• Participation in OIE activities and compliance
  with OIE Member Countries obligations

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Outcome of evaluation

• Evaluation should demonstrate that Veterinary
  Services have capability for
• effective surveillance and monitoring of the
  animal health status
• either generally or for specific diseases
• accurate notification of findings to OIE
• credibility on international certification
• emphasis should be on evaluation of quality of
  outputs and performance of Veterinary Services

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World Organisation for Animal Health 12 rue de
Prony, 75017 Paris Tel [phone]
Fax [phone] Email
oie_at_oie.int http//www.oie.int