G/SPS/GEN/2001  
 
8 March  2022 
(22-2091) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English/French/Spanish  
 
  
82ND MEETING OF THE SPS COMMITTEE  
COMMUNICATION FROM THE WORLD ORGANISATION FOR ANIMAL HEALTH (OIE)  
The following communication, received on 4 March  2022, is being circulated at the request of the 
OIE. 
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The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is pleased to provide this report for the information 
of WTO Members attending the 82nd meeting of the SPS Committee.  
The report summari zes ke y activities in the OIE 's standard -setting work programme, animal health 
information, capacity building activities and other relevant topics . 
1  OIE 89TH GENERAL SESSION  
1.1.  Unfortunately, the 89th Annual General Session of the World Assembly of National Delegates 
to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) will be held virtually from Monday 23 to Thursday 
26 May 2022 and will be conducted through a series of virtual sessions each day. This decision was 
taken by the OIE Council in coordination with t he Director General in light of the ongoing COVID -19 
global pandemic.  
2  OIE INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR TERRESTRIAL AND AQUATIC ANIMALS  
2.1.  The four Specialist Commission met virtually during February 2022 to continue work to review 
existing, and develop new, OIE international standards in the Terrestrial Animal Health Code, 
the Aquatic Animal Health Code, the Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals 
and the Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals, along with other activities relevant to each 
Commission's terms of reference.  
2.2.  During the 89th OIE General Session new and revised chapters of the OIE International 
Standards will be proposed for adoption. To facilitate this process, the February 2022 meeting report 
of the Terrestrial  Animal Health Standards Commission, the Aquatic Animal Health Standards 
Commission and the Biological Standards Commission will be distributed in two parts: Part A (to be 
published during March 2022) will provide information about the new and revised text s that will be 
proposed for adoption at the 89th General Session; and Part B (to be published during 
April/May  2022), will provide information about other topics discussed at Commissions' 
February  2022 meetings including texts circulated for comment and ot her information. The report 
of the Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases will be published as one report during March 2022 
because it does not include any draft standards for adoption.  
2.3.  The reports of these four Commission meetings will be available on the OIE website once 
finalised. The links to these reports, once available, are provided below:  
− Biologica l Standards Commission  February 2022 meeting report;  
− Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases  February 202 2 meeting report;  
− Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission  February 2022 meeting report ;  
− Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission  February 2022 meeting report.  G/SPS/GEN/2001  
 
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  2.4.  The OIE would like to highlight to the Committe e the following work undertaken during the 
February meetings:  
2.1  Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)  
2.5.  The Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission (Code Commission) in collaboration with 
the Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases (Scientific Commi ssion), together with the 
recommendations from several OIE ad hoc Groups, has undertaken an in -depth review of 
Chapter  11.4, Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, of the Terrestrial Code. Amendments include 
updated provisions on official BSE risk status as wel l as revised provisions on BSE risk assessment 
and surveillance. The revised chapter was circulated in the Code Commission February 2022 report 
and will be proposed for adoption at the 2022 General Session.  
2.2  Rinderpest  
2.6.  The deadliest cattle disease in histor y, was officially declared eradicated from the world in 
2011. Chapter 8.16, Infection with rinderpest virus, remained in the Terrestrial Code to address the 
risk of re -emergence. A thorough review of Chapter 8.16. has been conducted to improve 
surveillance , notification, and control provisions, and the structure of the chapter and trade 
provisions have also been revised to ensure the maintenance of global freedom and its prompt 
recovery in the case of re -emergence. The revised chapter was circulated in the Code Commission 
February 2022 report and will be proposed for adoption at the 2022 General Session.  
2.3  Rabies  
2.7.  Following the recent adoption of the revised Chapter 8.14, Infection with rabies virus, the Code 
Commission, in collaboration with the Scientific Com mission, has addressed some outstanding 
aspects of the chapter, including the revision of recommendations for the importation of dogs from 
countries or zones infected with rabies virus. The revised chapter was circulated for member 
comments in the Code Com mission February 2022 report.  
2.4  New chapter on biosecurity  
2.8.  The Code Commission has agreed to develop a new chapter on biosecurity for Section 4 of the 
Terrestrial Code and has requested that an ad hoc Group be convened to draft a new chapter. It is 
expected that the ad hoc Group will report back to the Code Commission at its September 2022 
meeting.  
2.5  Section 5 Trade measures, import/export procedures and veterinary certification  
2.9.  The Code Commission has agreed to revise Chapters 5.4, 5.5, 5.6 and 5.7 in Section 5 of the 
Terrestrial Code, to update recommendations to address the key steps in the process of international 
trade, including measures at origin, in transit, and on arrival, given that these chapters have not 
updated for many years. and has requested that  ad hoc Group be convened to draft a new chapter. 
The Code Commission has requested that an ad hoc Group be convened to scope this work and 
report back to the Code Commission at its September 2022 meeting.  
2.6  Chapter 1.4. Aquatic Animal Health Surveillance of  the Aquatic Code  
2.10.  The Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission has continued its substantial revision of 
Chapter 1.4. to provide guidance for self -declaration of freedom from disease, rather than providing 
general guidance on aquatic animal health survei llance. This revision also supports the work being 
undertaken to revise Articles X.X.4 –X.X.8 in the disease -specific chapters of the Aquatic Code which 
provide recommendations for the demonstration of disease freedom. The revised Chapter 1.4. and 
model Art icles X.X.4 –X.X.8 will be circulated in the February 2022 report and will be proposed for 
adoption at the 2022 General Session.  
3  PROVISION OF SCIENTIFIC ADVICE TO THE OIE AND ITS MEMBER COUNTRIES  
3.1.  The Director General establishes ad hoc Groups to provide sp ecific technical and scientific 
advice required to support the work of the OIE and the OIE Specialist Commissions. The OIE G/SPS/GEN/2001  
 
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  publishes information on its website providing the dates and terms of reference of proposed 
ad hoc Groups as well as reports once the se have been validated and considered by the relevant 
Specialist Commissions. This information is available on the OIE website at: ad hoc Groups 
information . 
3.2.  Two permanent OIE Working Groups, Wildlife and AMR, also provide specific technical and 
scientific advice required to support the work of the OIE and the OIE Specialist Commissions. 
Information and report of  these Working Groups is available on the OIE website at: Working Groups 
& Reports: OIE - World Organisation for Animal Health . 
4  SELF-DECLARED DISEASE STATUS  
4.1.  In accordance with the provisions of the Terrestrial Code or the Aquatic Code, OIE members 
may wish to self -declare the freedom of their country, zone or compartment from a disease. 
A member wishing to publish its self -declaration for disease -freedom, shou ld provide the relevant 
documented evidence of compliance with the provisions of the relevant chapters of the Codes. 
The OIE will screen any applications and consider them for publication in accordance with its 
Standard Operating Procedure . Since the 81st SPS Committee meeting, the OIE has published 
a country self -declaration for high pathogenicity avian influenza and rabies, respectively.  
4.2.  All published self -declarations are avai lable on the OIE website at: Self-declared Disease Status 
- OIE - World Organisation for Animal Health . 
5  MONITORING IMPLEMENTATION OF OIE INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS – THE OIE 
OBSERVATORY  
5.1.  The pilot phase of the OIE Observatory's was completed in 2021. During this phase, 
five prototypes were developed to identify internal and external sources of information that could be 
used to monitor the implementation of OIE standards. The last  prototype, focused on the 
OIE Standards related to African swine fever, will be published in April 2022. Lessons learned from 
these prototypes have been instrumental in the establishment of a set of indicators to assist 
in monitoring members' adherence to  OIE Standards. This work has assisted the OIE Observatory 
in the development of its first annual implementation review report, planned for publication at the 
end of 2022.  
5.2.  The indicators identified have different data sources, internal to the OIE (e.g. the  OIE World 
Animal Health Information System, the Performance of Veterinary Services Evaluation Tool) but also 
external to the OIE. WTO SPS notifications and disputes are an important part of the external 
information supporting the monitoring of the impleme ntation of OIE Standards.  
5.3.  Further work will follow -up on the gaps identified in the prototypes and the development of the 
annual implementation review report(s) and assess the value, impact and cost -benefits that 
potential adjustments could deliver for the  OIE and its members.  
5.4.  For more information on the work and importance of the Observatory, the OIE Panorama 
published a special edition  about the Observatory in December 2021.  
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