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19 June 2023 
(23-4186) Page: 1/4 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English/French/Spanish  
 
  
86TH MEETING OF THE SPS COMMITTEE  
COMMUNICATION FROM THE WORLD ORGANISATION FOR ANIMAL HEALTH ( WOAH ) 
The following communication, received on 12 June  2023, is being circulated at the request of the 
WOAH . 
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The World Organisation for Animal Health ( WOAH ) is pleased to provide this report for the 
information of WTO Members attending the 86th meeting of the SPS Committee.  
1  90TH GENERAL SESSION  
1.1.  The 90th Annual General Session of the World Assembly of Delegates (the Assembly) was held 
from 21 to 25 May 2023 in Paris, France. More than 1,000 participants attended the General Session, 
including 141 WOAH Delegates.  
1.2.  The General Session included the ado ption of administrative and technical resolutions , as well 
as elections for vacancies in some of the governing bodies of the Organisation. The General Session 
also included an Animal Health Forum on avian influenza. This innovative Forum provided a unique 
opportunity for Delegates and partners to discuss in depth this disease which has seriously impacted 
many members . 
1.3.  In addition, side events and exhibition stands took place before and after the daily plenary 
sessions. These activities permitted delegations  to interact with experts on a number of specific 
initiatives relevant to WOAH and its missions.  
1.4.  The Report of the 90th General Session and adopted Resolutions are available on the WOAH 
website . 
1.1  Standard setting activities at the 90th General Session  
1.5.  The WOAH World Assembly of Delegates adopted new and revised texts in the WOAH 
International standards: the Terrestrial Animal Health Code  (Terrestrial Code ), the Aquatic Animal 
Health Code  (Aquatic Code ), the Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Te rrestrial Animals  
(Terrestrial Manual ), and the Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals  (Aquatic Manual ). 
1.6.  Information regarding all new and revised texts adopted for inclusion in the 2023 editions of 
the WOAH International standards are available in  the report of the 90th General Session.  
1.7.  More details about some of the new and revised texts adopted in the WOAH International 
standards of interest to the SPS Committee are noted below.  
1.1.1   Terrestrial Animal Health Code  
1.8.  13 revised chapters, revised User's G uide and three new glossary definition s were adopted in 
the Terrestrial Code . G/SPS/GEN/2133  
 
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  − A thoroughly revised version of Chapter 11.4. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy was 
adopted. The revision included revision of general criteria for the determination of the BSE 
risk and of requirements for negligible and controlled BSE risk status, revision of 
recommendations for trade of certain commodities based on differentiated risk depending 
on date of birth, revision of recommendations for the trade of the commodities with th e 
greatest BSE infectivity and revision of recommendations on surveillance (i.e. less 
prescriptive and cumbersome approach, focused on targeted passive surveillance). 
Chapter  1.8. Application for official recognition by WOAH of risk status for bovine spong iform 
encephalopathy was also revised to ensure alignment with amendments proposed for the 
revision of Chapter 11.4 .; 
− Chapter 8.14. Infection with rabies virus was partially revised to add a new article to address 
the implementation of a rabies vaccination  programme for dogs ; 
− Chapter 8.15. Infection with Rift Valley fever virus was revised to clarify the obligations of 
members to notify when there is an epidemic of the disease in an endemic country or zone 
and to provide further guidance on surveillance to members on factors that may signal a 
transition to an epidemic of the disease ; 
− Chapter 12.2. Contagious equine metritis, Chapter 12.6. Infection with equine influenza 
virus and Chapter 12.7. Equine piroplasmosis underwent comprehensive revisions ; 
− A new Cha pter 16.1. Infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus and a new 
Chapter 8.Y. Infection with Leishmania  spp. were developed to provide members with precise 
definitions to fulfil their notification obligations in accordance with Chapter 1.1.  Notification 
of diseases and provision of epidemiological information.  
1.9.  Details of texts adopted are provided in Resolution No. 23  Amendments to the Terrestrial Code . 
1.10.  The online version of the 31st edition (2023) of the Terrestrial Code  will be available by 
August  2023 (in English, French and S panish) on the WOAH public website.  
2  MANUAL OF DIAGNOSTIC TESTS AND VACCINES FOR TERRESTRIAL ANIMALS  
2.1.  15 revised chapters and two new glossary definitions were adopted.  
− Chapter 3.1.5. Crimean –Congo haemorrhagic fever was revised to align Table 1. Diagnostic 
test formats with the proposed case definition. The classification of the virus clades was 
updated in the section on nucleic acid detection, and the text was amended to emphasi ze 
that it is necessary to combine at least two molecular assays to ensure detec tion of the 
different CCHFV clades ; 
− Chapter 3.1.18. Rabies (infection with rabies virus and other lyssaviruses) underwent a 
moderate revision to add important technical details to the descriptions of the diagnostic 
tests and to update the tests and their r atings in Table 1 Test methods available for the 
diagnosis of rabies and their purpose. In the vaccine section , it was stressed that as 
injectable live -attenuated vaccines have been documented to cause vaccine -induced rabies, 
their use should be discontinu ed; 
− Chapter 3.1.19. Rift Valley fever (infection with Rift Valley fever virus) underwent a 
moderate revision to update some of the test protocols. In the section on the MP -12 RVF 
vaccine, a statement and a reference were added indicating that the vaccine h as also been 
successfully tested in Camelidae ; 
− Chapter 3.1.22. Trichinellosis (infection with Trichinella  spp.) was extensively revised 
including updating the taxonomy of the genus Trichinella and re -ordering the preferred 
samples to be taken to maximi ze test sensitivity. In the diagnostic techniques section, 
the digestion and detection methods were updated, and three new direct detection methods 
were added ; 
− Chapter 3.2.2. American foulbrood of honey bees (infection of honey bees with 
Paenibacillus  larvae ) was revised to take account of the new genotype (ERIC V) ; 
− Chapter 3.2.3. European foulbrood of honey bees (infection of honey bees with 
Melissococcus plutonius ) underwent a moderate revision to include information on atypical 
strains, and to revise and upd ate the sections on epizootiology and clinical signs and culture 
methods ; 
− Chapter 3.3.10. Fowlpox was revised to update the diagnostic methods and Table 1 Test 
methods available for diagnosis of fowlpox and their purpose ; 
− Chapter 3.3.13. Marek's disease wa s extensively updated including the addition of new 
sections on the nature and classification of the pathogen, zoonotic potential and biosafety G/SPS/GEN/2133  
 
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  and biosecurity requirements and differential diagnosis. In the diagnostic techniques section , 
certain protocols  were amended; and the vaccine section was thoroughly updated ; 
− Chapter 3.9.7. Influenza A virus of swine was extensively updated including thoroughly 
updating most of the diagnostic test protocols in the section on diagnostic techniques, adding 
a new section on gene sequencing, and revising Table 1 Test methods availa ble for diagnosis 
of IAV -S and their purpose.  
2.2.  Details of texts adopted are provided in Resolution No. 24  Amendments to the Terrestrial 
Manual . 
2.3.  The online version of the 12th edition (2023) of the Terrestrial Manual  will be available by 
August 2023 (in English) and October 2023 (in Spanish) on the WOAH publi c website.  
2.1  Aquatic Animal Health Code  
2.4.  One new and 12 revised chapters in the Aquatic Code  were adopted.  
− A new Chapter 10.X. Infection with tilapia lake virus was adopted ; 
− The list of susceptible species in Chapter 10.9. Infection with spring viremia of carp virus, 
Chapter 11.4. Infection with Marteilia refringens , Chapter 11.2. Infection with 
Bonamia  exitiosa  and Chapter 11.3. Infection with Bonamia ostreae  were amended aft er 
consideration of the work of the ad hoc Groups on Susceptibility of fish and molluscs species 
to infection with WOAH listed diseases ; 
− Model Articles 11.X.9. to 11.X.14. for all mollusc disease -specific chapters were adopted to 
align with horizontal amen dments previously applied to other disease -specific chapters.  
2.5.  Details of texts adopted are provided in Resolution No. 21  Amendments to the Aquatic Code . 
2.6.  The online v ersion of the 25th edition (2023) of the Aquatic Code  will be available by 
August  2023 (in English, French and Spanish) on the WOAH public website.  
2.2  Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals  
2.7.  Twelve revised chapters of the Aquatic Manual  were adopted. The following chapters were 
revised using the new disease -chapter template:  
− Chapter 2.2.1. Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease;  
− Chapter 2.2.3. Inf ection with Hepatobacter penaei  (necrotising hepatopancreatitis);  
− Chapter 2.2.4. Infection with infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis virus;  
− Chapter 2.2.5. Infection with infectious myonecrosis virus;  
− Chapter 2.2.7. Infection with Taura syndrom e virus;  
− Chapter 2.2.8. Infection with white spot syndrome virus;  
− Chapter 2.3.1. Infection with Aphanomyces invadans  (epizootic ulcerative syndrome);  
− Chapter 2.3.2. Infection with epizootic haematopoietic necrosis virus . 
2.8.  Details of texts adopted are provid ed in Resolution No. 22  Amendments to the Aquatic Manual . 
2.9.  The online version of the 10th edition (2023) of the Aquatic Manual  will be available by 
August  2023 (in English) and October 2023 (in Spanish) on the WOAH public website.  
3  WOAH OFFICIAL RECOGNITION OF ANIMAL HEALTH STATUS AND CONTROL 
PROGRAMMES OF MEMBER S 
3.1.  WOAH members can apply to be included in the list of countries with an officially recognised 
status for the following six priority diseases: bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), foot and 
mouth disease (FMD), contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), A frican horse sickness, peste 
des petits ruminants (PPR) and classical swine fever (CSF).  
3.2.  At the 90th General Session, three countries were recogni zed as having new official animal 
health status:  G/SPS/GEN/2133  
 
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  − Colombia was officially recogni zed as being 'free from CBPP' ; 
− A zone in Colombia and a zone in Russia were officially recogni zed as 'free from FMD with 
vaccination' ; 
− A zone in Bolivia was officially recogni zed as 'free from FMD without vaccination'. For Bolivia , 
the entire territory has been officially recogni zed as free from FMD and this recognition was 
an extension of the areas where vaccination is no longer practised.  
3.3.  The full list of countries and their rec ognized status for AHS, BSE, CBPP, CSF, FMD, and PPR 
can be accessed online  on the WOAH public website.  
4  TECHNICAL ITEM AND ANIMAL HEALTH FORUM ON AVIAN INFLUENZA  
4.1.  The 90th WOAH General Session included the Technical Item 'Strategic challenges in the global 
control of high pathogenicity avian influenza'  as well as an Animal Health Forum, a format introduced 
for the first time in the General Session, to explore the challenges for the gl obal control of HPAI.  
4.2.  The Technical Item, which was based on a questionnaire of WOAH members, provided a 
comprehensive review of the unprecedented shift in the epidemiology and ecology of HPAI, the 
ensuing challenges this brings and possible solutions for consideration.  
4.3.  The Animal Health Forum: 'Policy to action – The case of avian influenza'  was divided into four 
themes where invited WOAH Delegates and industry representatives discussed issues on surveillance 
and monitoring for early detection and prevention, disease control strategies for prevention and 
control, trade aspects and global co -ordination. This multipro nged approach aimed to facilitate a rich 
discussion and debate around science -based disease control strategies required to assist countries, 
and options for better global and regional coordination, prioriti zation and financing.  
4.4.  Resolution No. 28  "Strategic challenges in the global control of high pathogenicity avian 
influenza" was adopted during the General Session. This resolution outlines the recommendations 
for WOA H, its members and other partners to deal with the global threat of HPAI. It recommends to 
maintain transparency through timely and comprehensive reporting of avian influenza events to 
WOAH; to promptly share samples and virus isolates, virus sequence data , and associated 
epidemiological information; to address capacity gaps, and ensure the sustainability of laboratories 
in under -resourced countries. The Resolution endorses a risk -based, comprehensive and systematic 
monitoring and surveillance in domestic b irds, wild birds and in other susceptible animal species to 
support early warning and risk management at the human –animal–environment interface. 
It recommends that Members r espect and implement the adopted WOAH standards and recogni ze 
compliant zones and c ompartments of their trade partners; members , in consultation with the 
poultry sector may consider the implementation of vaccination as a complementary disease control 
tool that is based on sound surveillance and takes into account local factors and condit ions. 
The resolution advocates for the implementation of national disease control and operational plans in 
cooperation and coordination with wildlife health authorities, public health authorities and the private 
sector to ensure a multi -stakeholder One Hea lth effort to combat HPAI; and for increased investment 
in low - and middle -income  countries . 
5  GLOBAL ANIMAL HEALTH SITUATION  
5.1.  The " Current animal health situ ation worldwide in regard to selected global strategies and 
infection with lumpy skin disease virus: analysis of events and trends " was presented to the World 
Assembly during the General Session and focused on four areas. The first section provided an upda te 
on the state of play of WAHIS moderni zation and reporting by members . The second section 
presented an update on infection with lumpy skin disease virus, for which epizootic situations were 
observed in 2022. The third section focused on indicators on the  progress made by members in 
relation to selected global animal disease control or eradication strategies. Finally, the role of the 
Data Integration Department was briefly highlighted.  
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