1. Animal Welfare in a livestock export market
context – working together to improve
global animal welfare
Dr Derek Belton
Head, International Trade Department
World Organisation for Animal Health

2. Contents
1. Introduction
2. OIE background and standard setting
3. The SPS Agreement
4. OIE Animal Welfare Standards
5. OIE support to member countries
6. Private Standards
7. Working together
8. OIE priorities, known challenges & certainties
9. Conclusions

3. Introduction
 Animal welfare is a complex multifaceted public policy issue that
includes important scientific, ethical, economic and political
dimensions.
 OIE Member Countries have widely varying perspectives and
experience.
 By working together we know that governments, the private
sector, international organisations and donors really can
successfully address societal expectations for animal welfare.

4. OIE Background
The International Intergovernmental organisation
responsible for improving animal health and
welfare worldwide
Created 1924, now 178 Members
Maintain permanent relations with 60 other international and
regional organisations
Scientific network:
• 241 OIE Reference Laboratories (in 37 countries)
• 43 Collaborating Centres (in 24 countries)

5. Chronology
An intergovernmental organisation preceding the
United Nations

6. OIE Objectives
• Transparency of the animal disease situation worldwide
• Scientific information
• International support to developing countries and the role played
by Veterinary Services
• Safety of international trade of animals and animal products
• Food safety and animal welfare
To achieve these objectives OIE collects, analyses and publishes a lot
of information

7. OIE’s International Standard Setting
OIE develops and publishes

standards for the prevention and control of animal diseases as well as for the
safe trade of animals and animal products and standards for animal welfare
=> Codes

biological standards for diagnostic tests and vaccines
=> Manuals
Adopted by OIE Member Countries

during General Session each May by consensus
Developed using a science-based approach

8. OIE Standard setting procedure
Commissions, Delegates
and Others
Request
Comments
2 rounds
ad hoc Groups
Updated text
Codes/Manuals
AWWG
Adopted
TAHSC or AAHSC
World
Assembly
Text for adoption
Report & texts
OIE Members
Text for comment

9. Strengths of OIE Standards
1.
Science based
2.
Transparent and democratic process of development and
adoption
3.
178 Member Countries support

10. The WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement)
• Agreed in 1994, came into force 1 January 1995
• Recognises OIE as the International Standard Setting Body for
Animal Health
• Most OIE members are also WTO members (but not all)
• Does not cover animal welfare (though animal health is a
significant component of animal welfare)

11. SPS Agreement – article 2.1
Members have the right to take sanitary and phytosanitary measures
necessary for the protection of human, animal or plant life or health,
provided that such measures are not inconsistent with the provisions
of this agreement.

12. SPS Agreement – article 3.1
To harmonise sanitary and phytosanitary measures on as wide a
basis as possible, Members shall base their sanitary or phytosanitary
measures on international standards, guidelines or
recommendations, where they exist, except as otherwise provided in
this Agreement, and in particular in paragraph 3.

13. Definition of Animal Welfare for the Purpose of the Terrestrial
Code
Animal welfare means how an animal is coping with the conditions in
which it lives. An animal is in a good state of welfare if (as indicated
by scientific evidence) it is healthy, comfortable, well nourished,
safe, able to express innate behaviour, and if it is not suffering from
unpleasant states such as pain, fear, and distress.
Good animal welfare requires disease prevention and veterinary
treatment, appropriate shelter, management, nutrition, humane
handling and humane slaughter/killing.
Animal welfare refers to the state of the animal; the treatment that
an animal receives is covered by other terms such as animal care,
animal husbandry, and humane treatment.

14. OIE Guiding Principles for Animal Welfare
•
•
•
•
•
•
Animal welfare and health are linked
Five freedoms
Three R’s (reduction, refinement, replacement)
Scientific basis for standards
Contribution to human wellbeing
Use of animals carries with it an ethical responsibility to ensure
their welfare
• Better animal welfare can improve productivity and deliver
economic benefits
• Equivalent outcomes based on performance criteria are the basis
for comparison of animal welfare standards

15. Five Freedoms
1. Freedom from hunger thirst and
malnutrition
2. Freedom from fear and distress
3. Freedom from physical and thermal discomfort
4. Freedom from pain injury and disease
5. Freedom to express normal patterns of behaviour
6. Freedom to live a life worth living

16. Evolution of the animal welfare agenda
 2000: Animal welfare recognised as a strategic priority in the 3 rd
OIE Strategic Plan 2001-2005;
 2002: Adoption by the World Assembly of OIE Delegates of a
Resolution leading to the creation of a permanent Animal
Welfare Working Group;
 2004: Adoption of the Definition and General Principles on
Animal Welfare. Beginning of the drafting of AW Chapters;
 Transport and slaughter were the first priorities

17. Current standards on animal welfare in the Terrestrial
Animal Health Code
(http://www.oie.int/en/international-standard-setting/terrestrialcode/access-online/)
•Introduction to the recommendations for animal welfare
•Transport of animals by land (2005)
•Transport of animals by sea (2005)
•Transport of animals by air (2005)
•Slaughter of animals for human consumption (2005)
•Killing of animals for disease control purposes
•Control of stray dog populations.
•Use of animals in research and education
•Animal Welfare and Beef Cattle Production Systems (2012)
•Animal Welfare and Broiler Chicken Production Systems

18. Support to OIE Member Countries
Regular training of OIE Delegates
Seminars for OIE National Focal Points
OIE Collaborating Centre training activities
OIE Twinning initiatives
Regional Animal Welfare Strategies
The PVS Pathway
OIE’s Improved Animal Welfare Programme
OIE’s informal procedure for dispute mediation
Australian investment in improving implementation of OIE
animal welfare standards in livestock export and slaughter is
both leading and driving international best practice.

19. Animal Welfare in the OIE Scientific & Technical Review
• Vol. 13 (1994) Animal Welfare and Veterinary Services
• Vol. 24 (2) (2005) Animal Welfare: global issues, trends
and challenges
• Vol 32 (3) (2013) Plurithematic Issue: Application of the OIE
Terrestrial Animal Health Code to Animal Welfare. M A Schipp
and A D Sheridan
• Vol. 33 (2014) Animal Welfare: focussing on the future

20. OIE Global Conferences
Raise awareness, share experiences, improve understanding,
and help build consensus across all interested parties.
2004 – Paris: Global Conference on Animal Welfare: an OIE initiative
2008 – Cairo: Putting the OIE Standards to work
2012 - Kuala Lumpur: Implementing the OIE standards – addressing
regional expectations
2016 - Chile

21. OIE Improved animal welfare programme
• First round of training completed in Indonesia, the Philippines,
Turkey.
• Parallel training in Thailand
• Training underway in Vietnam.
• Planning underway for Jordan (including Egyptian participants)
• Further training in Asia and the Middle East according to resources
and donor priorities
7

22. OIE Improved animal welfare programme
• Program dedicated to support implementation of OIE AW standards
(transport and slaughter) in eligible countries
• High level planning workshop in Indonesia paved way for training of
trainers (TOT) workshops organised in 2012
• OIE training tools for future TOT interventions in other countries have
been developed
7

24. Private Standards & Specifications
• Animal welfare has become a focus of attention for multinational
food companies
• Market power of large multinationals increasingly drives producer
practice
• OIE World Assembly Resolutions 2008 and 2010
• 2012 Cooperation Agreement between OIE & ISO
• ISO TC 32 working group

25. OIE Animal Welfare priorities
Standards Development
 Production systems
Dairy Cattle
 Working animals
 Disaster management
Implementation
 Improve participation by all OIE Members, and all interested parties, in the
standard setting process.
 Improve implementation of OIE Animal Health and Welfare Standards
 Collaborate with private standard setting organisations (e.g. ISO and Global
GAP) to improve and refine implementation of OIE standards.

26. Future certainties
• Animal welfare expectations and standards for the live export trade
will continue to evolve.
• True learning always takes us out of the known and comfortable,
and requires significant investment.

27. Future Challenges
• Public interest and concern about animal welfare is likely to
continue to increase.
• WTO members are likely to remain hesitant about including animal
welfare in WTO negotiations.
• Private sector specifications that provide competitive advantage
will continue to evolve.
• Recognition of alternate systems in developing countries that
produce equivalent animal welfare outcomes will probably need
more attention.

28. Conclusions
• OIE science based standards developed through an inclusive
and democratic process are a well established and powerful tool
to establish globally acceptable animal welfare standards.
• For effective implementation of OIE standards many countries
need:
– Support to update legislation
– Capacity building assistance and budget support for their
veterinary services

29. Conclusions
• Your investments in improving animal welfare and taking those
improvements to the rest of the world have OIE’s full support.
• Working together governments, the private sector, international
organisations, and donors can successfully address societal
expectations for animal welfare.

30. Thank you for your support
Organisation mondiale
de la santé animale
World Organisation
for Animal Health
Organización Mundial
de Sanidad Animal
Protecting Animals, Preserving our future
“The greatness of a nation and its moral
progress can be judged by the way its
animals are treated” M. Ghandi
12 rue de Prony, 75017 Paris, France - www.oie.int – oie@oie.int