83^rd Meeting of the SPS Committee

Communication from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)

The following communication, received on 1^st June 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 83^rd meeting of the SPS Committee.

1  89^th General Session

1.1.  The 89^th Annual General Session of the World Assembly of Delegates was held in a semi-hybrid format from Monday 23 to Thursday 26 May 2022. The semi-hybrid format allowed the main speakers and some members holding elected positions to participate in-person at the event venue in Paris while all other members and partners attended remotely.

1.2.  The General Session included the adoption of administrative and technical resolutions. A total of 151 OIE Delegates participated in the General Session.

1.3.  OIE National Delegates adopted 29 Resolutions. The Report of the 89^th General Session and adopted Resolutions are available on the OIE website.

1.1  Standard setting activities at the 89^th General Session

1.4.  The OIE World Assembly of Delegates adopted updated texts in the OIE International standards: the Terrestrial Animal Health Code (Terrestrial Code), the Aquatic Animal Health Code (Aquatic Code), the Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals (Terrestrial Manual), and the Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals (Aquatic Manual).

1.5.  Information regarding all new and revised text adopted in the OIE International standards are available in the report of the 89^th General Session.

1.6.  More details about new and revised texts in the OIE International standards of interest to the SPS Committee are noted below:

1.1.1  Terrestrial Animal Health Code

1.7.  Eleven revised chapters, three revised glossary definitions and 1 new glossary definition were adopted in the Terrestrial Code.

-        Rinderpest. The deadliest cattle disease in history, 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 thoroughly revised version was adopted to improve surveillance, notification, and control provisions, and to revise the structure of the chapter and trade provisions to ensure the maintenance of global freedom and its prompt recovery in the case of re-emergence;

-        Theileriosis. A revised Chapter 11.10. Theileriosis was adopted. The chapter was comprehensively revised and the revision included an amendment to the title to 'Infection with Theileria annulata, T. orientalis and T. parva'. The name of the disease listed in Chapter 1.3. Diseases, infections and infestations listed by the OIE was also amended to align with this name change;

-        Echinococcosis and Porcine cysticercosis. Chapter 8.5. Infection with Echinococcus granulosus and Chapter 15.4. Infection with Taenia solium (Porcine cysticercosis) were amended to include new developments in the area of vaccine production and vaccination;

-        Zoonoses transmissible from non-human primates. Chapter 6.12. Zoonoses transmissible from non-human primates was revised to clarify that hepatitis B is a disease of humans and is not a zoonotic disease;

-        Stray dog population control. Chapter 7.7. Stray dog population control was revised to ensure its alignment with the Global Strategic Framework for the elimination of dog‑mediated human rabies by 2030. Amendments adopted included the revision of the scope of the chapter and a focus on the welfare of dogs when implementing dog population management programmes. As a consequence the title of the chapter was changed to 'Dog population management'. A new Glossary definition for 'Free-roaming dog' which replaced 'Stray dog' was also adopted.

1.8.  The online version of the 30^th edition (2022) of the Terrestrial Code will soon be available and can be accessed from the OIE public website.