Aquatic Animal Health Code
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Aquatic Animal Health Code |
The OIE Aquatic Animal
Health Code (the Aquatic Code)
sets out standards for the improvement of aquatic animal health and
welfare of farmed fish worldwide, and for safe international trade
in aquatic animals (amphibians, crustaceans, fish and molluscs)
and their products. The health measures in the Aquatic
Code should be used by the Competent Authorities of importing
and exporting countries for early detection, reporting and control
of agents pathogenic to aquatic animals and to prevent their transfer
via international trade in aquatic animals and their products, while
avoiding unjustified sanitary barriers to trade.
The standards in the Aquatic
Code have been formally adopted by the World Assembly of
OIE Delegates, which constitutes the organisation's highest decision-making
body. This 18th edition incorporates modifications to the Aquatic Code agreed at the 83rd General
Session in May 2015.
This edition includes an updated version of the
table of contents, user's guide and glossary, and revised text in
the following chapters: diseases listed by the OIE, import risk
analysis, control of pathogenic agents in aquatic animal feed, general
obligations related to certification, certification procedures,
infection with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, infection
with ranavirus and infection with Perkinsus
olseni. In addition, the text in Articles X.X.7. and X.X.11.
of disease-specific chapters has been merged, and some amendments
have been made in Articles 10.4.4. and 10.4.6.
This edition also includes two new chapters:
Recommendations for surface disinfection of salmonid eggs (4.4.)
and Risk analysis for antimicrobial resistance arising from the
use of antimicrobial agents in aquatic animals (6.5.).
The development of these standards and recommendations
is the result of the ongoing work by the OIE Aquatic Animal Health
Standards Commission (the Aquatic Animals Commission). This Commission,
which comprises six elected members, meets twice yearly to address
its work programme. This Commission draws upon the expertise of internationally
renowned specialists to prepare draft texts for new articles of
the Aquatic Code and to revise existing articles.
The views of OIE National Delegates are routinely sought through
the twice yearly circulation of new or revised texts. The Aquatic
Animals Commission collaborates closely with other Specialist Commissions
of the OIE, including the Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission,
the Biological Standards Commission and the Scientific Commission for
Animal Diseases, to ensure that the recommendations contained in
the Aquatic Code are based upon
the latest scientific information.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement
on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement)
formally recognises the role of the OIE as the international standard
setting organisation for animal health and zoonotic diseases. According
to the SPS Agreement, WTO Members should align their import requirements
with the recommendations in the relevant standards of the OIE. Where
there are no OIE recommendations or if the country chooses a level
of protection requiring measures more stringent than the standards
of the OIE, these should be based on an import risk analysis conducted
in accordance with Chapter 2.1. The Aquatic
Code is thus a key part of the WTO legal framework for international
trade.
The Aquatic Code is
published annually in the three official OIE languages (English,
French and Spanish). The Aquatic Code may
be viewed and downloaded from the OIE Web site at http://www.oie.int.
The User's Guide, which follows the foreword, is designed to help Competent Authorities and other interested parties to use the Aquatic Code.
We wish to thank the members of the Aquatic Animals Commission, Delegates and the experts participating in ad hoc Groups and other Specialist Commissions for their expert advice. My thanks go to the staff of the OIE for their dedication in producing this 18th edition of the Aquatic Code.
Members of the
OIE Aquatic Animals Commission, 2012-2015:
President: Dr Franck Berthe
Vice-President: Dr Jie Huang
Vice-President: Dr Victor Manuel Vidal Martínez
Members: Dr Ingo Ernst, Dr Brit Hjeltnes and
Dr Alicia Gallardo Lagno
June 2015
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2015 ©OIE - Aquatic Animal Health Code |
