Barriers to the implementation of aquatic animal health standards – Survey findings

As part of its role as a standard-setting organisation, WOAH adopts international standards, particularly with respect to diseases that may be transmitted across international borders.

For aquatic animal health, these standards are presented in the Aquatic Animal Health Code (the Aquatic Code) and the Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals (the Aquatic Manual); they aim to improve aquatic animal health and welfare worldwide. The Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission (the Aquatic Commission) is responsible for the development and revision of these standards and is supported by ad hoc Groups, WOAH Reference Centre experts, experts from Member Countries and the WOAH Secretariat. The implementation of these science-based standards is critical to the improvement of aquatic animal health.

In 2021, WOAH launched its first Global Aquatic Animal Health Strategy (the Strategy), which includes four objectives and 23 specific activities, including:
• identification of barriers to the implementation of standards (Activity 1.5)
• support for the implementation of standards (Activity 2.1)
• identification of barriers to transparency in disease reporting (Activity 2.4)
• Increased use of the Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) Pathway (Activity 2.2)
• support for WOAH Delegates and Focal Points (Activity 2.6).