Global action to combat animal disease threat

In a joint statement this week, both agencies warned that animal diseases spreading between countries, such as foot-and-mouth disease and avian influenza, are having a severe economic and social impact. FAO and OIE called upon countries and donors to invest more in the control of contagious transboundary animal diseases.

Such animal diseases are on the rise as a result of international trade and the movement of people and animals. "Animal diseases that cross borders need an immediate and effective regional or international response,"​ the two agencies said.

FAO and OIE have decided to set up a global information and early warning system on highly contagious transboundary animal diseases.

"In an emergency situation, the rapid distribution of information and an improved coordination between countries is essential to control contagious diseases. This will help to protect people against diseases of animal origin and prevent the risk of diseases spreading into other countries,"​ FAO/OIE said.

The new FAO/OIE agreement, signed on 24 May 2004, clarifies the area of competence of the two agencies and will improve synergies. While OIE is a body that collects official information provided by countries, sets standards and guidelines and issues recommendations on safety of international trade of animals and animal products, on animal health and zoonoses, FAO advises countries on good agricultural practices, disease control and eradication methods. Both agencies assist countries in building their surveillance and early warning systems.

Preventative measures are now being taken. For example, an EU-developed livestock traceability programme that uses DNA fingerprint technology is being introduced into the US meat industry to provide animal traceability and origin of meat validation.

Developed in the EU several years ago in response to a desire by the meat industry to regain consumer confidence following the BSE and Foot and Mouth disease outbreaks, manufacturer Eurofins claims that the system has been proven reliable in a study involving 14,000 cattle.

Now the traceability certification expertise of Eurofins US and GeneScan USA has been combined to offer Eurofins-TAG, a high quality third-party validation of existing traceability programs, to the US meat industry.

The meat industry has historically tracked individual animals through the supply chain using paper-based traceability systems and ear-tags or other physical measures. Such physical measures of tracking are vulnerable to fraud or loss due to unavoidable, natural causes.

DNA traceability is a more accurate method of providing traceability from each piece of meat on sale to the animal of origin. Demand among consumers for more precise methods of traceability in the meat and food supply chain has grown in recent years due to increased awareness of food safety factors and greater concern about control within the food supply.