Procedures for official recognition of animal health status, endorsement of an official control programme, and publication of a self-declaration of animal health status, by WOAH

Article 1.6.1.

Application for official recognition of animal health status and endorsement of an official control programme by WOAH

A Member Country may request:

1. official recognition of animal health status by WOAH of:

   1. freedom of a country or zone from African horse sickness (AHS);

   2. risk status of a country or zone with regard to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE);

   3. freedom of a country or zone from classical swine fever (CSF);

   4. freedom of a country or zone from contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP);

   5. freedom of a country or zone from foot and mouth disease (FMD), where vaccination is either practised or not practised;

   6. freedom of a country or zone from peste des petits ruminants (PPR);

2. endorsement by WOAH of:

   1. an official control programme for CBPP;

   2. an official control programme for FMD;

   3. an official control programme for PPR;

   4. an official control programme for dog-mediated rabies.

WOAH does not grant official recognition of animal health status or endorsement of an official control programme for diseases other than those listed under points 1 and 2 above.

The Member Country should present documentation setting out the compliance of their Veterinary Services with the provisions of Chapters 1.1., 1.4., 3.2., 3.3. and 4.4. of the Terrestrial Code, when relevant, and with the provisions of the relevant disease-specific chapters in the Terrestrial Code and the Terrestrial Manual.

When requesting official recognition of animal health status or endorsement by WOAH of an official control programme, the Member Country should follow the Standard Operating Procedures (available on the WOAH website) and submit to WOAH a dossier providing the information requested in the following chapters (as appropriate): 1.7. (for AHS), 1.8. (for BSE), 1.9. (for CSF), 1.10. (for CBPP), 1.11. (for FMD) or 1.12. (for PPR).
 

The WOAH framework for the official recognition of animal health status, the endorsement of official control programmes, and their maintenance is described in relevant Resolutions adopted by the World Assembly of Delegates.

The country or the zone will be included in the relevant lists of official animal health status or endorsed official control programmes only after the evidence submitted has been adopted by the World Assembly of Delegates.

When a Member Country requests official recognition of animal health status for a zone, the geographical boundaries of the proposed zone should be clearly defined. When applying for recognition of a free zone that is adjacent to another zone of the same status, it should be stated whether the new zone is being merged or kept separate. If the proposed zone remains separate, details should be provided of the control of the movement of relevant commodities between the zones in accordance with Chapter 4.4.

The overall objective of the WOAH endorsed official control programmes is for Member Countries to progressively improve their animal health situation and eventually attain official recognition of animal health status or in the case of dog-mediated rabies to make a self-declaration as a free country or zone. The official control programme should be applicable to the entire country even if certain measures are directed towards defined zones.

Article 1.6.2.

Maintenance of official recognition of animal health status and endorsement of an official control programme by WOAH

Retention on the lists of countries and zones having an official animal health status or of countries having an endorsed official control programme requires that the information in relevant chapters be re-submitted annually and that changes in the epidemiological situation or other significant events be notified to WOAH in accordance with the requirements in Chapter 1.1.

Non-compliance with the requirements for the maintenance of animal health status results in the suspension of that status. Within 24 months of suspension, except otherwise stated in the disease-specific chapter, a Member Country may apply for the recovery of a previously recognised status, following the provisions of the relevant disease-specific chapter. When the status has not been recovered within the specified period of its suspension, it is withdrawn and the Member Country should reapply following the procedure for the application for official recognition of animal health status.

WOAH may withdraw the endorsement of an official control programme if there is evidence of:

• non-compliance with the timelines or performance indicators of the programme; or

• significant problems with the quality of the Veterinary Services as described in Section 3 of the Terrestrial Code; or

• an increase in the incidence or distribution of the disease that cannot be addressed by the programme.

Article 1.6.3.

Publication by WOAH of a self-declaration of animal health status by a Member Country

A Member Country may make a self-declaration of freedom of a country, zone or compartment from a WOAH listed disease or another animal disease, infection or infestation. The Member Country may inform WOAH of the claimed status and request publication by WOAH of the self-declaration to inform WOAH Member Countries.

A Member Country requesting the publication of a self-declaration should follow the Standard Operating Procedure (available on the WOAH website) for submission of a self-declaration of animal health status and provide documented information on its compliance with the relevant chapters of the Terrestrial Code, including:

• evidence that the infection or infestation is a notifiable disease in the entire country;

• history of absence or eradication of the infection or infestation in the country, zone or compartment;

• surveillance including an early warning system for all relevant species in the country, zone or compartment;

• measures implemented to maintain freedom in the country, zone or compartment.

The self-declaration may be published only after all the information provided has been received and administrative and technical screening has been performed by WOAH. Publication does not imply endorsement of the claim of freedom by WOAH and does not reflect the official opinion of WOAH. Responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained in a self-declaration lies entirely with the WOAH Delegate of the Member Country concerned.

Except when otherwise provided for in the listed disease-specific chapter, an outbreak in a Member Country, a zone or a compartment having a self-declared free status results in the loss of the self-declared free status. A Member Country wishing to reclaim a lost free status should submit a new self-declaration following the procedure described in this article.

WOAH does not publish self-declarations for listed diseases in point 1 of Article 1.6.1.

nb: first adopted in 2009; most recent update adopted in 2021.