These guidelines are intended to be used in conjunction with risk analyses for the importation of commodities from one country or region to another. The methods which are referenced are applicable to risk analysis of import commodities.
Risk analysis is a broad field of study.
Within risk analysis, tools and methods have been developed to meet specialized issues. These guidelines are not intended to be utilized with other forms of risk analysis, such as those applied to recognizing the disease status of zones or regions, or evaluating monitoring and surveillance systems. Quantity is an inherent characteristic of an import commodity. Risk analyses need to account for a range of likely import quantitites, but this range does not in any way imply that quantities of imported commodities should be limited. Various diagrammatic models advanced by OIE member countries have contributed to further clarifying how risk assessment and risk management are integrated.