Prague,
18 November 1999
Dr Jean B l a n c o u
Director
General
International
Office of Epizootics (OIE)
12, Rue de
Prony
75017 P a r i s
XVII
F R A N C E
----------------------------------------
Re: International
trade and diseases spreading
Dear Dr
Blancou,
I have been reading about the dispute
between
The above mentioned case and many others have
proved that the "WTO Agreement on
the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures" has nothing to
do with fair trade due to gross discrimination of importing countries !!!. This
document has created legal basis for animal disease spreading through the trade
as never before. It should be abolished
or at least revised and completely rewritten giving the priority to
strengthened protection against diseases spreading. WTO General Conference is behind the door.
OIE as World Organization for Animal Health is the right organization to
initiate this step.
As follow-up of the above mentioned WTO
document, the OIE Code, which has always been the recommendations only based
upon member countries consensus (not the outcome of scientific research !), was
converted into obligatory international regulations. On the other hand the
importing countries are pushed to justified "scientifically" the
refusal of the commodity which they do not want !
As I remember the policy of international
veterinary organizations was always to avoid
diseases spreading and not to admit their spreading.
OIE information about diseases occurrence
necessary for importing country decision-making was significantly reduced
instead to provide more data. Symbols about the grades of disease occurrence
were reduced to "+". The numeric data about the incidence are usually
incomplete. I would like to mention one example from recently published
"Dictionary of Veterinary Epidemiology" on page 147: "It is
assumed, that for every case of salmonellosis recorded in humans in the United
States at least nine are not reported." This is the reality in human
diseases reporting and what about animal diseases reporting. How to assess the
risk ? Some exporting countries try to use mathematical models to demonstrate
theoretically that the risk is minimum or zero. But the reality is very often
different.
General tendency in international trade is
to increase the quality requirements. Trade in animals and their
products must not be the exception. Trade should be facilitated by improving
animal population health quality in exporting countries through disease
reduction and eradication and not by imposing upon importing countries the
"duty" to reduce the protection barriers against diseases
introduction. Not speaking about the tendency to reduce (due to "economic
reasons") government veterinary services and their control/inspection role
in field, laboratory and trade instead
to strengthen it.
I would like you to understand my concern
about the future animal health situation in the world. The situation has become
critical. We have to avoid this kind of ecological disaster.
No to globalization of diseases, yes to
globalization of health !
Therefore, I would like to suggest to
consider all my well meant comments and suggestions I have send to you.
I am attaching a text about "Risk of
zoonoses spread through export and import" which could be of your
interest.
Yours sincerely,
Prof. Dr Vaclav K o u b a, DrSc.
P.B. 516
17000
Prague 7
Czech
Republic
Annex:
3 pages
V.K.