WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/574 
22 June 2005 
 (05-2664) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English/ 
 French/  Spanish 
 
  
CHAPTER 1.3.5.  
ZONING AND COMPARTMENTALISATION  
 
Communication from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)
 
  
 The following communication, dated 17 June 2005,  is being circulated at the request of the 
OIE. 
 
_______________ 
 
 
Article 1.3.5.1. 
 Introduction  
 
For the purposes of this Terrestrial Code , 'zoning' and 'regionalisation' have the same meaning.  
 Given the difficulty of establishing and maintain ing a disease free status for an entire country, 
especially for diseases the entry of which is diff icult to control through measures at national 
boundaries, there may be benefits to Member Countries in establishing and maintaining a subpopulation  with a different animal health status within national boundaries.  Subpopulations may 
be separated by natural or artificial geographical ba rriers, or in certain animal industries, by the 
application of appropriate management syst ems, including biosecurity management.  
 
Zoning and compartmentalisation are procedures impl emented by a country under the provisions of 
this Chapter with a view to defining subpopulations  of different animal health status  within its 
territory for the purpose of disease control and/or international trade .  Compartmentalisation applies 
to a subpopulation  when management systems related to bio security are applied, while zoning applies 
when a subpopulation  is defined on a geographical basis.  
 
This chapter is to assist OIE Member C ountries to establish and maintain different subpopulations  
within their national boundaries using the procedures of compartmentalisation and zoning.  It also 
outlines a process for trading partners to follow in achieving recognition of such subpopulation .  
These procedures are best implemented by tradin g partners through establishing parameters and 
gaining agreement on the necessary measures prior to disease outbreaks .  
 Separate requirements will be developed for each disease for which the application of zoning or 
compartmentalisation is considered appropriate.    G/SPS/GEN/574 
Page 2  
 
 Article 1.3.5.2. 
 
General considerations  
 
Before trade in animals  or their products may occur, an importing country  needs to be satisfied that its 
animal health status will be appropriately protected .  In most cases, the import regulations developed 
will rely in part on judgements made about the eff ectiveness of sanitary procedures undertaken by the 
exporting country , both at its boundaries and within its territory.  
 The benefits of zoning and compartmentalisation may include a contribution to disease control or 
eradication within Member Countries, and to the safety of international trade .  Zoning may encourage 
the more efficient use of resources within certain  parts of a country to allow trade in certain 
commodities  from that zone in accordance with this Terrestrial Code .  Compartmentalisation may 
allow safe trade due to the functional separation of a sub-population  from other domestic or wild 
animals through biosecurity measures, which a zone (through geographical separation alone) would 
not achieve.  Following a disease outbreak , compartmentalisation may be able to take advantage of 
epidemiological linkages despite diverse geographical locations, to  facilitate disease control.  
 The Veterinary Services  of an exporting country  which is establishing a zone or compartment  within 
its territory for international trade  purposes should clearly define the subpopulation  in accordance 
with the measures stipulated in the relevant Chapters in this Terrestrial Code  and should be able to 
explain to the Veterinary Services  of an importing country  the basis for its claim of a distinct animal 
health status for the zone or compartment  in such terms. 
 The procedures used to establish and main tain the distinct health status of a zone or compartment  
should be appropriate to the particular circumst ances, and will depend on the epidemiology of the 
disease, environmental factors, applicable biosecurity measures (including movement controls, use of 
natural and artificial boundaries, commercial mana gement and husbandry pr actices), and surveillance 
and monitoring.  The exporting country  should be able to dem onstrate, through detailed 
documentation published through offici al channels, that it has implemented the measures stipulated in 
this Terrestrial Code  for establishing and maintaining such a zone or compartment .  
 
An importing country  should recognise the existence of this zone
 or compartment  when the 
appropriate measures recommended in this Terrestrial Code  are applied.  
 
Article 1.3.5.3. 
 
Prerequisite considerations in defining a zone or compartment  
 
The exporting country  should conduct a practical assessment of the resources needed and available to 
establish and maintain a zone or compartment  for international trade  purposes.  These include the 
human and financial resources, and the technical capability of the Veterinary Services  (and of the 
relevant industry, in the case of a compartment ).  
 
Article 1.3.5.4.   
Principles for defining a zone or compartment  
 In conjunction with the above considerations, defining a zone or compartment  should be based on the 
application of the following principles:   (1)  The extent of a zone and its limits should be established by the Veterinary Administration  on the 
basis of natural, artificial or legal boundaries,  and made public through official channels.   G/SPS/GEN/574 
 Page 3 
 
 
  
(2)  The requirements regarding a compartment  should be established by the Veterinary 
Administration  on the basis of relevant criteria such  as biosecurity management and husbandry 
practices, and made public through official channels.   
(3)  Animals and herds belonging to subpopulations  need to be clearly recognizable as such.  The 
Veterinary Administration  must document in detail the measures ta ken to ensure the identification of 
the subpopulation and the recognition and maintenance of its health status.  
 (4)  The requirements necessary to preserve the distinct health status of a zone or compartment  must 
be appropriate to the particular disease  and will depend on the epidemiology of the disease , 
environmental factors, biosecurity management, animal husbandry practices, control measures and surveillance.   (5)  Thus defined, the zones  and compartments  constitute the relevant subpopulations  for the 
application of the recommendations in Part 2 of this Terrestrial Code .  
 
Article 1.3.5.5. 
 
Sequence of steps to be taken in defining a zone/compartment  
 There is no single sequence of steps wh ich must be followed in defining a zone or a compartment .  
The steps that the veterinary services of importing and exporting countries choose and implement will 
generally depend on the circumstances existing within a country and at its borders.  The 
recommended steps are:  
1. For zoning
  
  (a) The exporting country  identifies a geographical area within its territory which it 
considers to contain an animal subpopulation  with a distinct health status with respect 
to a specific disease /specific diseases , based on surveillance and monitoring.  
 
 (b) The exporting country  identifies the procedures which are being, or could be, 
employed to distinguish such an area epidemiologically from other parts of its 
territory, in accordance with th e measures stipulated in this Terrestrial Code .  
  (c) The exporting country  provides the inform ation above to the importing country , and 
explains that the area can be treated as an epidemiologically separated zone for 
international trade  purposes.  
  (d) The importing country  determines whether it may accept such an area as a zone for 
the importation of animals  and animal products, taking into account:  
 
  (i) an evaluation of the exporting country's Veterinary Services ;  
   (ii) the result of a risk assessment  based on the information provided by the 
 exporting country  and its own research;  
 
  (iii) its own animal health situation with respect to the disease (s) concerned;  and  
   (iv) other relevant OIE standards.   G/SPS/GEN/574 
Page 4  
 
  (e) The importing country  notifies the exporting country  of the result of its determination 
and the underlying reasons, within a reas onable period of time, being either:  
   (i) recognition of the zone;  
 
  (ii) request for further information;  or  
   (iii) rejection of the area as a zone for international trade  purposes.  
  (f) An attempt should be made to resolve any differences of opinion over the definition 
of the zone, either in the interim or finally, by  using an agreed mechanism to reach 
consensus (such as the OIE dispute settlement mechanism).  
  (g) The importing country  and the exporting country  may enter into a formal agreement 
defining the zone.  
 
(2) For compartmentalisation
  
  (a) Based on discussions with the relevant enterprise/industry, the exporting country  
identifies within its territory one or more establishments  or other premises owned by 
an enterprise(s) which operates under a common biosecurity management system, and 
which it considers contains an identifiable animal subpopulation  with a distinct health 
status with respect to a specific disease /specific diseases ;  and that this status is 
maintained through a partnership between the relevant enterprise/industry and the 
Veterinary Services  of the exporting country .  
 
 (b) The exporting country  examines the 'biosecurity management manual' produced by 
the enterprise/industry for such establishment (s), and confirms through an audit that:  
   (i) such establishment (s) is(are) epidemiologically closed throughout its 
 routine operating procedures as a resu lt of effective implementation of its 
 'biosecurity management manual' and;  
 
  (ii) the surveillance and monitoring  programme in place is appropriate to 
 verify the free status of such establishment (s) with respect to such 
 disease (s).  
 
 (c) The exporting country  identifies such an enterprise to be a free compartment , in 
accordance with the measures stipulated in this Terrestrial Code .  
  (d) The exporting country  provides the inform ation above to the importing country , and 
explains that such an enterprise can be treated as an epidemiologically separated 
compartment for international trade  purposes.  
 
 (e) The importing country  determines whether it may accep t such an enterprise as a 
compartment taking into account:  
   (i) an evaluation of the exporting country's Veterinary Services ;  
 
  (ii) the result of a risk assessment  based on the information provided by the 
 exporting country  and its own research;  
   (iii) its own animal health situation with respect to the disease (s) concerned;  and   G/SPS/GEN/574 
 Page 5 
 
 
  
  (iv) other relevant OIE standards.    (f) The importing country  notifies the exporting country  of the result of its examination 
and the underlying reasons, within a reas onable period of time, being either:  
 
  (i) recognition of the compartment;   
   (ii) request for further information;  or   
  (iii) rejection of such an enterprise as a compartment  for international trade  
 purposes.  
  (g) An attempt should be made to resolve any differences of opinion over the definition 
of the compartment , either in the interim or finally, by using an agreed mechanism to 
reach consensus (such as the OIE dispute settlement mechanism).  
  (h) The importing country  and the exporting country  may enter into a formal agreement 
defining the compartment.  
 
__________