WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/GEN/127
2 July 1999
(99-2744)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English/
   French/
   Spanish
DECISIONS RELEVANT TO THE SPS AGREEMENT TAKEN
BY THE OIE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE
AT THE 67TH GENERAL SESSION
Submission by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE)
The 67th General Session of the OIE International Committee was held from 17 to 21 May 1999
at the headquarters of the Organisation (Paris, France).
The decisions relevant to the SPS Agreement taken by the OIE International Committee during
the General Session are as follows:
Adoption of new measures for the International Animal Health Code
Additions or amendments on the following subjects were made to the International Animal
Health Code  (the Code ):
1. Skins and trophies from wild animals susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease2. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
3. Import risk analysis
4. Quarantine measures applicable to non-human primates
5. Rinderpest
6. Peste des petits ruminants (embryos/ova from small ruminants and domestic cervids)7. African horse sickness (equine embryos/ova)
8. In vitro  fertilised bovine embryos/ in vitro  maturing oocytes
9. Bluetongue
10. Definitions in the Code
11. Collection and processing of embryos (harmonisation of Code  appendices relating to different
species)
The International Committee continued to devote special attention to BSE, with a view to
improving the OIE recommendations on health conditi ons applicable to international trade in animals
and animal products.  In particular, the improvements related to a considerable number of points that
had remained under study.  The conditions that a country must fulfil in order to be recognised as freefrom the disease have now been determined, thus enabling the OIE to work on the development of aG/SPS/GEN/127
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procedure and guidelines to allow recognition of this status to be achieved at the international level.
Proposals along these lines will be submitted to the International Committee in May 2000.
A certain number of recommendations have been clearly identified as remaining under study
within the body of the chapter.  The OIE will be working on these points in depth during the next few
months.
Recognition of the foot-and-mouth disease status of Member Countries
The OIE Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Other Epizootics Commission, meeting in
September 1998 and January 1999, revised the list of countries or zones of countries that it considers
to be free from foot-and-mouth disease, in accordance with the conditions laid down in Chapter 2.1.1.
of the Code .  This list was sent to the Member Countries, who have a period of 60 days in which to
respond in writing.
In the form of a Resolution, the OIE International Committee adopted the proposed list, to
which was added, in respect of the May 1998 list, an additional country free from foot-and-mouth
disease without vaccination (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia).
Procedure for recognising the status of countries or zones free from specific animal diseases
By means of a Resolution, the OIE International Committee decided to improve the procedure
enabling the OIE to recognise countries or zones as being free from specific animal diseases, so as to
allow recognition to be accorded in the shortest possible time should all the necessary conditions be
fulfilled before a General Session is held.
Definition of Newcastle disease
The OIE International Committee adopted a Resolution providing a new definition for
Newcastle disease, in order to eliminate a lack of precision existing in the previous definitions given
in the International Animal Health Code  and the Manual of Standards for Diagnostic Tests and
Vaccines   and thus avoid any error of interpretation.
Amendments to the lists of aquatic animal diseases covered by the OIE
The OIE International Committee decided to include the two iridoviruses affecting catfish and
sheatfish among the agents of epizootic haematopoietic necrosis, which appears in the list of "diseases
notifiable to the OIE", as well as iridovirus infecti ons of red seabream and white sturgeon in the list of
"other significant diseases".
OIE Reference Laboratories
The OIE International Committee took note of the additions and changes recommended by the
Standards Commission in regard to Reference Laboratories and disease experts. The OIE currently
has 135 Reference Laboratories covering 59 diseases or groups of diseases in Lists A or B.
The International Committee was also informed on progress made in terms of international
standardisation of diagnostic tests applicable to a certain number of animal diseases.
Extension of the competence of a Collaborating Centre
The scope of the OIE Collaborating Centre for Diagnosis and Control of Animal Diseases in
Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Transcaucasia, at the All-Russian Research Institute for AnimalHealth in Vladimir (Russia) was extended by the addition of the All-Russia State Research Institute
for Control, Standardisation and Certification of Veterinary Preparations.  Consequently, theG/SPS/GEN/127
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aforementioned region now has a centre specialising in bacteriology whose activities complement the
virological studies carried out at the Vladimir Institute.
The OIE currently has 9 Collaborating Centres which can provide Member Countries with
technical assistance in the field of diagnosis, surveillance and control of animal diseases, risk analysis
and veterinary drugs.
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