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Other challenges
Notwithstanding the progress made to date, there are still many challenges and the OIE is progressing the development of standards and recommendations in new areas of importance to animal welfare.
Animal welfare related provisions of Islamic Law - OIE Discussion Paper
With the objective of raising public awareness and supporting an active role for veterinary services in improving animal welfare globally, the OIE Animal Welfare Working Group produced a Discussion paper on the topic of compatibility between the OIE standards and the animal welfare related provisions of Islamic law.
The Discussion paper draws attention to requirements of Islamic law that relate to the humane handling of animals, including at transport and slaughter. The OIE encourages National Veterinary Services to enter into dialogue with religious authorities with the objective of improving animal welfare globally.
Click here to download the OIE Discussion paper. The Discussion paper is also available in Arabic.
Relevance and importance of laboratory animal welfare
In the context of the official agreement between the OIE and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the OIE has become alert to the problems facing the commercial airline industry in connection with the air transportation of laboratory animals, particularly dogs, cats and non human primates. The OIE wishes to highlight that access to these animals and the associated necessary air transportation is of critical importance in supporting scientific research in many important fields of human and veterinary medicine. The OIE has written a discussion paper on this topic with the objective of raising awareness of the issue. The transport of laboratory animals in accordance with the IATA Regulations and associated recommendations provides appropriate safeguards for animal welfare and public safety. Furthermore the use of these animals (under appropriate conditions of management of animal health and animal welfare as outlined in the relevant chapter in the Terrestrial Code) makes a significant contribution to medical and veterinary research. National regulatory frameworks for the welfare of laboratory animals play an important role in assuring the health and welfare of the animals involved and, importantly, assure operator safety.
Click here to download the OIE discussion paper. For further information concerning IATA please contact: larper@iata.org.
OIE animal welfare standards and the multilateral trade policy framework
With the mandate granted by its Member Countries, the OIE has taken a global leadership role in setting global animal welfare standards and has attained an impressive number of achievements.
The Terrestrial Code contains general principles and specific recommendations on animal welfare, covering key topics relevant to livestock, stray dogs, and animals used in research and education. The first guiding principle states that ‘there is a critical relationship between animal health and animal welfare’. Consistent with this fact, the Terrestrial Code also contains information that is of general relevance to animal welfare, including, recommendations on the quality of Veterinary Services and on disease prevention and control. The Aquatic Animal Health Code contains general principles and specific recommendations on the welfare of farmed fish. All OIE standards are regularly updated to take account of latest scientific findings.
Click here to download the OIE discussion paper on the relevance and implications of the OIE animal welfare standards in the context of the multilateral trade policy framework.
The multilateral trade policy framework, for the purposes of this paper, comprises the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organization Agreements, specifically the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (the TBT Agreement). These Agreements establish disciplines that must be respected by WTO Members when imposing measures on international trade in animals and animal products.
For further information please contact: trade.dept@oie.int
Last update 5 July 2013