Transcript particular aspects of trade in animals and animal

PARTICULAR ASPECTS
OF TRADE
IN ANIMALS
AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS
V.Kouba
3 May 2001
Last amendment: 10 April 2013
Addendum I and Addendum II
INTERNATIONAL TRADE - COMPARISON BETWEN ANIMAL AND INDUSTRIAL
COMMODITIES - I
===================================================================
CRITERION
ANIMAL COMMODITIES
INDUSTRIAL COMMODITIES
===================================================================
Availability of
reduced
standards
reliable
or minimum
technical parameters
information
or zero
for importing
country on
quality
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Certification of
nil (replaced by incomplete
complete
quality
information covering only
including risks of side effects
limited number of
pathogens)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Declaration of
nil
obligatory
side effects risks
(not required by
current
(part of quality
international
certificate)
organizations !?)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Guarantee
nil or incomplete
complete
responsibility
relative
absolute (100%)
almost non controllable
controllable
no guarantee for pathogen
free export
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Duration of
zero or short (weeks)
long (months – years)
quality guarantee
if any
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Reclamation
exceptional
normal practice
of defects
or not existing
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Covering losses
by traders
not existing
normal practice
or exceptional
by taxpayers
current
never
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Risk for traders
not existing
always
to pay losses
or exceptional
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Deficiency
very difficult
relatively easy
detection (prove)
or impossible
INTERNATIONAL TRADE - COMPARISON BETWEN ANIMAL AND INDUSTRIAL
COMMODITIES – II
====================================================================
CRITERION
ANIMAL COMMODITIES
INDUSTRIAL COMMODITIES
====================================================================
Risk analysis
very problematic
z e r o r i s k import
no enough data =
= normal
risky import
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Risk influencing
enormous number
very limited
factors
including biological ones
(inanimate products)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Deficiency
multiplying due to
local only
consequences
territorial spreading and
not spreading
transfer to next
generations;
up to catastrophic impact
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Feasibility to
minimum or
relatively easy
restore
zero = irreparable
reparable
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ability to
yes; often pathogen changes: no
change to worse
new strains, drug resistance,
virulence increase, etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ability of
yes; often irreparable
product life-time limit
consequences
long-time
short
to last
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ability to
very often
no
reproduce negative
consequences
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Need for protective
yes
no
measures
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Risk of affecting
yes
no problem
health
including man health
or minimum
==================================================================
COMPARISON OF INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEM USED FOR TRADE
IN ANIMALS AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS BEFORE AND AFTER 1995 *)
==========================================================================
CRITERION
BEFORE 1995
AFTER 1995 (reduced instead of more
and better information)
==========================================================================
Global yearbooks
- FAO/OIE/WHO Animal
Health yearbook (abolished after 40 years)
- OIE World Animal Health OIE World Animal Health
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Disease occurrence
- exceptional cases
abolished
regular reporting on
- sporadic cases
abolished
- low sporadic occurrence
abolished
- enzootic occurrence
abolished
- high occurrence
abolished
- ubiquitous occurrence
abolished
- only in imported animals
abolished
- recognized for the
the first time abolished
- disease exists,
occurrence unknown
abolished
a l l replaced by one
non interpretable "+"
= reported present or
known to be present
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Data on zoonoses
reported
abolished (except 2)
in humans
(22 diseases)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Analytic data
HANDISTAT software
+ mapping for
1. version providing
abolished and
decision on
many useful methods,
after 3 years replaced by a “new”
import
information and analyses
significantly reduced version;
of animal diseases in the
(mainly data available
world including maps
in OIE World Animal Health)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Availability of
only official numbers
data sent by Chief Veterinary
data on livestock
sent by member country
Officers usually in discrepancy
(necessary for
governments for FAO
in comparison with official
morbidity
Production Yearbook
data provided by governments
evaluation)
==========================================================================
*) World Trade Organization “Agreement of the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary
Measures”, 1994
AVAILABILITY AND RELIABILITY OF DATA ON ANIMAL DISEASES OCCURRENCE
COLLECTED BY INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AS REPORTED BY INDIVIDUAL
COUNTRIES
================================================================================
CRITERION
S T A T U S
================================================================================
Notifiability
Internationally notifiable diseases (OIE List A,B,C) cover
only about 1/10 of known infectious diseases species,
i.e. about 9/10 are not notifiable, not reported and not
controlled: situation is unknown = they can spread freely locally as well
as through trade (not covered by veterinary certificates,
not included in the risk assessment);
not considering emerging diseases and new pathogen strains
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Detectability of
clinical detectability from 0 to 100 %; in chronic diseases close
notifiable diseases
to zero; major in case of active surveys using adequate sampling methods
and tests with high sensibility;
the rest is not discovered = not reported = situation unknown
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Numeric data on
incomplete, strong underreporting = not corresponding with
notifiable diseases
the reality = untrue data confusing decision makers; no clear
as internationally
difference between disease incidence and prevalence
reported
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Information on active
not included in international information system
investigations (to be
(in spite of several repeated recommendations by the author)
able to distinguish reports
based on testing or
only on ad hoc reports)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Information on
missing (also in otherwise outstanding OIE Manual of
diagnostic tests
standards for diagnostic tests and vaccines) in all specific
quality, i.e.
diseases – no information on false negative results frequency
ability to detect specific
disease - sensitivity
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Availability of
incomplete or not available at all; quantification not reliable;
reliable data on
exact processing of inexact data conduces to the confusion of
animal diseases
decision makers. (Computers, information software,
risk assessment
modelling or administrative work in offices cannot replace
for international
active field investigations providing much more reliable data )
trade
=================================================================================
Motto: “Garbage in, garbage out !”
COMPARISON OF THE DOCUMENTS OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OF REFERENCE SYSTEM ESTABLISHED
BY WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION TO FOR ANIMAL TRADE BEFORE AND AFTER WTO “AGREEMENT ON THE APPLICATION OF
SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES” (WTO/SPS), 1995 - I
=========================================================================================================
CRITERION
BEFORE
AFTER
=========================================================================================================
Concept
health first
trade (profit – business) first
following WTO/SPS policy
also at the expense of animal and human health
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Objectives
to avoid diseases
to admit, even to support, diseases spreading
spreading
not requiring animals to be healthy,
i.e. requiring
products not to be
pathogen free
harmful, i.e. to be pathogen free;
export
instead very problematic “measures”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------OIE Code text
"avoid the risk
"Import risk analysis is
of spreading"
preferable to a zero risk approach“
zero risk approach
= risky import, i.e. „unimpeded flow“
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------Obligatoriness
recommendations, i.e.
obligations (regulation instead of liberalization)
freedom for decision
i.e. dictating limits for importing
on import conditions
country protection
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Import
recommendations
obligatory m a x i m u m (limit) for health guarantee
conditions
of m i n i m u m
without freedom
health
requirements for health
to improve them as necessary, i.e.
guarantee
guarantee with freedom to
d i c t a t e avoiding importing
complement them, i.e. to
country to require necessary
improve them as
protection;
necessary = the right
exception only if “scientifically
of importing country
justified” (!?) by not quantifiable risk assessment *)
to require better protection
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Right
full
reduced or no right
of importing
to ask for necessary
country to decide
protection (however, legal
on its own protection
responsibility for country protection is left)
========================================================================================================
*) WTO SPS and mentioned documents themselves are not scientifically justified (only consented) and they were agreed by the
member countries without having available any assessment of potential risks, i.e. not being informed about negative impacts.
Note: Importing countries need guarantee of harmless commodities, i.e. free of pathogens avoiding post-import problems, and not
wordy papers about falsely defined “measures” and incomplete information on exporting animal or animal products health quality.
COMPARISON OF REQUIREMENTS FOR TRADE IN ANIMALS AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS
BEFORE AND AFTER WTO “AGREEMENT ON THE APPLICATION OF THE SANITARY
AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES”, 1995 - II
===============================================================================
CRITERION
BEFORE
AFTER
========================================================================= ======
Quality
up to 1995
"business first" also
requirement
"health first"
at the expense of
priority
= harmless
animal/human health
export/import
= harmful export/import
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Permitting
no
yes
quality deficiency
(pathogens)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Requiring
pathogen-free export
yes
no
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Quality
steady increase
sudden decrease (as never before)
tendency
= degradation
requirement
(only in animal trade !)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Need for written
nonsense
obligatory by risk assessment documents
justification of
unknown practice
as never before (only in animal trade !?!)
commodity refuse
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Requirement grade
demanding import
benevolent export conditions, i.e.
for animal health
conditions motivated
permitting risky
improvement through exporting countries
export without effective national
disease control
to recover animal
control programmes (e.g. abusing
programmes
population health
self-declaration of “disease-free
(eradication, etc.)
= basic motivation
zones” in spite of high incidence in
the country) = lost motivation for
animal health improvement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Consequences in
organization of local
prefering strategy “doing nothing”
diseases control
and national eradication,
(due to reduced pressure on
prevailing strategy
elimination and reduction
export pathogen-free animals
of selected diseases
and animal products)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Preparation of
usually adequate
mostly inadequate (due to minimization of
veterinary services
courses in population preventive medicine and
for trade problems
in diagnosis of healthy animals and products)
========================================================================== =======
COMPARISON OF REQUIREMENTS FOR TRADE IN ANIMALS AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS BEFORE
AND AFTER WTO “AGREEMENT ON THE APPLICATION OF THE SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY
MEASURES”, 1995 - III
=========================================================================================
CRITERION
BEFORE
AFTER
=========================================================================================
Risk
current – voluntarily;
obligatory; not respecting all aspects;
assessment
flexible;
quantification incomplete due to absence
logical;
of necessary data;
complex;
not convincing methodology =
practical approach
aiming at artificially minimizing
from importing country
the risk (camouflage to “facilitate
protection needs
trade”); theoretical approach from exporting
country profit aspects
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Attests
mainly
mainly
issuing
government
private often d e p e n d e n t
officers
independent
(sometimes existentially) on
(incl. investigations
on producers and/or
producers and/or
on the spot)
exporters
exporters
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Attest reliability
usually high
usually low (not confirming pathogen-free status)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Accredited
relatively demanding
mass phenomenon
veterinarians
tests and strict selection
more benevolent selection, often
(due to lack of
of better prepared
without demanding tests of
gov. officers)
professionals
insufficiently prepared professionals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Corruption of export less frequency
higher frequency
attests issuing
due to stricter control
due to more benevolent and non frequent inspection,
veterinarians
by government officers
if any, on the spot by gov. service
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Supervising
usually frequent
after minimization of gov. services
private by
significantly reduced (former
government
strong gov. services dismantled)
veterinarians
and somewhere close to zero
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Supervising
usually frequent
minimal or nil
private diag.
laboratories
========================================================================== ==============
PREVAILING CONDITIONS FOR ANIMAL DISEASES SPREADING THROUGH
INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN THE PAST AND THE PRESENT
===========================================================================
CRITERION
IN THE PAST
IN THE PRESENT
===========================================================================
Size of trade in animals
comparative basic
multiplied
and animal products
value = 100
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Trade increase
slow - controllable
speedy -almost uncontrollable
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Number
limited
enormous
of commodity
usually controllable
almost uncontrollable
origin localities
by gov. veterinary services
by gov. veterinary services
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Commodity
limited
enormous
destination and final
usually controllable
uncontrollable
distribution localities
by gov. veterinary services
by gov. veterinary services
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Territory of commodity
limited
often enormous
origin
usually controllable
usually uncontrollable
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Trade distances
usually limited
up to anywhere on the planet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Trade transport
slowly increasing
rapid to anywhere
speed
in one/few days
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Veterinary attests
mostly by independent
mostly by dependent
issuing (including
government officers
private veterinarians
investigations)
and laboratories
and laboratories
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Animal disease control
priority of veterinary
minimizing due to economic
(testing, prevention,
services, government
pressure and minimizing
eradication programmes)
and international
government services and
organizations support
diagnostic laboratories
==========================================================================
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DISEASE R I S K A S S E S S M E N T REQUIREMENTS
FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND FOR LOCAL PROBLEM SOLUTIONS
========================================================================
CRITERION
RISK ASSESSMENT FOR
RISK ASSESSMENT FOR
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
LOCAL PROBLEM SOLUTIONS
========================================================================
Risk
requiring complex approach admitting not to consider all
assessment
considering all basic factors basic influencing factors;
principle
to avoid disease
evaluate
„export“, i.e. to
g r a d e of d i s e a s e r i s k
document z e r o r i s k
with respective exactness
for animal/human h e a l t h sufficient for the local or national
by the exporting country
problems solution
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Risk
active approach to discover
not so demanding as for
assessment
animal health/disease reality the international trade;
tools
in the territory and
it depends on the purpose - for
(approach)
population for export
general orientation less demanding
(field and laboratory
than for the preparation and
investigations cannot be
evaluation of disease eradication
replaced by computer
programme
data processing or
mathematical models)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Risk
using the most complex
not so demanding as for
assessment
and the most exact tests,
the international trade
investigations
investigate all animals and
products to be exported;
for the others using the
most representative sampling
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Risk
diagnosis of the h e a l t h
usually diagnosis of d i s e a s e
assessment
based on individual
based on individual and/or population
purposes
and epizootiological
investigations or on processing
complex investigations
reported data
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Risk
disease spread
disease spread locally with relatively
assessment
internationally up
limited consequences in comparison
error
to other continents
with international spread
consequences
with serious up to
catastrophic consequences
========================================================================
Notes: Every case is different. Uniform methodology does not exist. To confirm health (freedom from pathogens) is much more
demanding than to confirm a disease or pathogen. The same is valid for animal products innocuousness. Biological phenomena are
usually not quantifiable (measurable) and therefore disease risk assessments are very often not convincing.
DEVELOPMENT OF VETERINARY SERVICES ABILITY TO CONTROL INTERNATIONAL
TRADE IN ANIMALS AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS
=========================================================================================================
CRITERION
THE PAST
THE PRESENT
======================================================================== =================================
Service approach active avoiding disease
passive expectation of disease introduction/
in importing
introduction/spreading
spreading – “fire brigade” concept
countries
- preventive concept
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Undergraduate
reasonable balance
considerable imbalance in favour
education and
between preventive
of individual curative medicine
training
and curative medicine
minimizing preventive + population
(between population and
medicine = insufficient (or zero)
individual medicine)
preparation for trade needs, e.g., for ability to diagnose freedom
from transmissible diseases pathogens at individual, group and population levels
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ability of
relatively good
limited up to zero due to
government
due to its staff,
minimizing government control
services to
budget, facilities
role, i.e. service staff, budget, facilities,
control export
and other public
support; considerable dismantlement
effectively
support
due to privatization (somewhere
incl. issuing attests
ad absurdum)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Accredited
strict selection
benevolent selection;
veterinarians
special training and
insufficient training often
issuing attests
examinations
without examinations, i.e. usual impact:
for export on
attest not enough reliable = diseases “export“
behalf of government
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Accredited
dtto
dtto
diagnostic
minimal or zero supervision by
laboratories
government services
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Supporting
reasonable balance
considerable imbalance in favour of
research
between preventive
individual curative medicine minimizing
and curative medicine
preventive and population medicine
(between population and
(priority at herd-flock level only) research
individual medicine);
and almost total underestimation of
relatively sufficient
diseases spreading through trade; deep gap between theory and practice !
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ability to control limited, but carrying out
minimal - due to reduced public services,
inf. diseases
many successful disease lost motivation and extreme benevolence
to facilitate trade eradications as condition
for exporting countries in documents
(export)
for export
of key international organizations
========================================================================================================
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION AGREEMENT ON THE APPLICATION OF SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY
MEASURES (WTO/SPS) – COMMENTS I
==========================================================================================
P r e p a r a t i o n: No any scientific approach, no any risk assessment was presented to governments. The
document was not based on scientific principles, scientific oponency and on complex analysis of practical
impact.
U s e of f a l s e a r g u m e n t s such as in “attractive” Preamble: “Desiring to improve the human health,
animal health in all Members;” This is a historical l i e , no one word of this document is dedicated to health
improvement ! In contrast, the whole document is concerned only how to facilitate trade at the expense of
human and animal health in importing countries = irresponsible cheating member country governments. The
true was deliberately concealed ! Otherwise this „document“ could not be accepted !
A d o p t i o n : During ministerial meeting in Marrakesh on 15 April 1994 the document was approved, in good
faith in WTO HQs fairness, thanks to wilfully incorrect ly informed participants being asked to accept it in bloc
with other documents as condition sine qua non for WTO membership, not permitting discussions on the
particular subject.
C o n c e p t : Full support to the export also at the expense of animal and human health, permitting and even
supporting infection diseases “export” and their international spreading.
U n i l a t e r a l a p p r o a c h: Duties and responsibilities only for importing countries minimizing their
rights to protect their populations; maximizing the right of exporting countries to export also if their
exporting commodities are not pathogens-free; no one world on the duties of exporting country to cover the
losses due to the export of inadequate health quality (export of infectious diseases), often with catastrophic
consequences.
I n e q u a l i t y : Discrimination of importing countries, mainly the developing ones, having weak government
veterinary services (staff and diagnostic laboratories in terms of quantity and quality) very often unable: to
resist the pressure of the exporting and importing countries businessmen, politicians, international
organizations, to carry out adequate risk assessment (mainly due to missing information on true health status
in exporting country and lack of specialists), to control and investigate imported animals and animal
commodities, to control “imported” diseases conducing to the deterioration of the national situation
(additionally to negative consequences of dumping prices of imported commodities), i.e. increasing the need
for more import, often problematic from the health quality point of view.
==========================================================================================
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION AGREEMENT ON THE APPLICATION OF SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY
MEASURES (WTO/SPS) – COMMENTS II
==========================================================================================
THE ONLY PURPOSE OF THE WTO/SPS WAS TO “FACILITATE TRADE” AND TO INCREASE BUSINESS
PROFIT AT THE EXPENSE OF ANIMAL AND HUMAN HEALTH !
WTO/SPS does not know words such as “healthy animals”, “disease free animals”, “pathogen-free animal
products”, “innocuous animal products” , etc.
WTO/SPS changed the fair practice in international trade, normal for all commodities, which was sufficient in
the past also for the trade in animal and animal products:
a) instead to protect the farmers, animal owners, products users, food consumers of importing countries –
protects the businessmen of exporting countries (profit first, not quality = health first)
b) instead to protect importing country against introduction of infections through trade – supports exporting
countries to export at the expense of animal and human health in importing countries
c) instead to let the countries themselves to find solutions on bilateral basis (including eventual compromises)
- dictates importing countries to limit their protective measures and to accept also non healthy animals, no
pathogen-free products, etc.
d) instead to require exporting countries to guarantee the health / sanitary quality = harmlessness and to
document it in convincing and proper manner – dictates importing countries to “scientifically” document the
refuse or their import conditions through diseases risk assessments in spite of the fact that necessary
information are not available;
e) instead to require exporting country to inform in advance importing country and declare in written form (as
normal “label” in non-animal commodities) the true about health quality of the animal commodities, e.g. to
warn about the risks (“side effects”) and accepting full responsibility for covering their possible negative
impacts – requires the duties only for importing countries to accept insufficient guarantee and to import
“problems” with often catastrophic consequences;
f) instead to require import conditions to be sufficient for the importing country – requires conditions not
guaranteeing country protection, such as to accept to import the commodity infected by agents already
existing in importing country (i.e. to make situation worse), not to ask for stricter import conditions than
usually for national trade (not respecting fact, that the situation at home is always better known than the
situation in foreign countries), etc.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Note: History does not know any official international documents requiring that purchaser must scientifically
justify in written the refuse or his conditions; in fair trade the seller must try to convince the purchaser about
the merchandise quality. Reverse logic and professional incompetence represent the characteristics of the
WTO/SPS. Behind this document there were also those newly dominated the OIE changing its basic duty to
protect animal health against transmissible diseases.
ADDENDUM I
E-mail sent on 18 January 2009 to Barak O b a m a, USA President-Elect within the program
„Change.gov: The Obama-Biden Transition Team/Health Care – Of the People, By the People“.
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Re: Urgent need for stopping internationally organized spread of infections through trade detrimental to
health of US citizens
In order to protect health of US citizen against imported infections through trade in animals and their products,
there is a need to restore normal fair principles also for these commodities. The US consumers, farmers and
traders must have again the right to demand the imported food of animal origin as well as the animals to be free
of infections causing mass suffering and premature death, i.e. to demand full sanitary quality. This right has
been abolished by World Trade Organization (WTO) and International Office of Epizootics (OIE) prohibiting, even
under international sanctions, to refuse these commodities when being not sanitary innocuous, i.e. without
infection-free guarantee. The policy of both organizations is also avoiding sanitary guarantee documents and
therefore the US consumers, farmers and traders cannot be informed if the imported commodity is or not free of
infection pathogens. Paying country must have again the freedom to decide on the import conditions without
any external interference. To import the infections is relatively easy, however to detect and eradicate them is very
difficult up to impossible and then they can continue to spread and last for a very long time in affected populations
(multiplying impact). Imported infections are also detrimental to US biosphere.
Solution: to use US international initiative in abolishing all WTO and OIE documents and provisions
supporting spread of infections through trade; normal fair trade principles to be applied again also on the
above mentioned commodities.
Detailed information was sent to Mr. Al Gore, Former US Vice President.
Prof. MVDr Václav K o u b a, DrSc.
Formerly: Chief, Animal Health Service, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO);
Veterinary Public Health Expert, World Health Organization (WHO); Informatics Expert, International Office of
Epizootics (OIE); Editor-in-Chief, global FAO/WHO/OIE Animal Health Yearbook; Professor of Epizootiology,
University of Veterinary Science, Brno
ADDENDUM I - CONTINUATION
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Following correspondence:
On September 07, 2012 the author answered e-mail sent him by Mr. Barack O b a m a, President of the United States of America,
as follows:
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“Dear Barack,
thanks for your e-mail dated August 03, 2012.
I would like to exploit this opportunity and remind you my e-mail sent you on 18 January 2009 within the program „Change. gov: The Obama-Biden Transition
Team/Health Care – Of the People, By the People“. Text of my e-mail was entitled „Urgent need for stopping internationally organized spread of infections through trade
detrimental to health of US Citizen“. Copy is attached.
Full text to Mr. Al Gore can be found under http://vaclavkouba.byl.cz/ALGORE.htm.
More information can be found on my website http://vaclavkouba.byl.cz, namely in http://vaclavkouba.byl.cz/warnings.htm containing warning letters sent to United
Nations Secretary General, DG of World Trade Organization (WTO), DG of International Office of Epizootics (OIE), etc..
Unfortunately, my suggestions are still valid because the globalization of animal infections (including transmissible to man) through international trade being supported by
WTO and OIE continues getting more and more massive and irreparable character.
Regards,
Vaclav”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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In this context the author responded on February 11, 2013 to the e-mail sent him by Mr. John Forbes K e r r y, United States
Senator for Massachusetts and Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who was appointed on February 01,
2013 as US Secretary of State:
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“Dear John,
thanks very much for your e-mail sent me on July 27, 2012.
I would like to use this occasion to inform you, new US Secretary of State, about one extremely important international issue regarding the health of all present and future
human and animal populations in the world: policy of “legally“ supported globalization of dangerous infections through international trade in animals and their
products. Of many hundreds of animal infection species causing mass sufferings and premature deaths are almost two hundred transmissible to man. Sanitary, economic,
ecological and social steadily increasing global consequences of this policy are incomparably much larger than the impact of present terrorism in the whole world. For the
“import” of infectious disease pathogens is sufficient only one moment while the detection and eradication of them are extremely difficult up to unreal when the imported
pathogens, able to reproduce and spread, penetrate into populations of wild animals.
There is an urgent need to abolish (or replace) international documents and all provisions admitting, facilitating and even supporting export of infectious
disease pathogens at the expense of human and animal health in importing countries!
The first document is World Trade Organization (WTO) “Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures" not requiring exported animal
commodities to be of full sanitary safety, i.e. to be free of infectious disease pathogens. The second document is “Animal Health Code for International Trade” being
issued annually by International Office of Epizootics (OIE) supporting fully WTO anti-sanitary policy conducing to international spread and globalization of dangerous
infections.
Text of my protest as former Chief, Animal Health Service, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations sent to Director General of the WTO requiring and
justifying the abolishment of the mentioned WTO document can be found in http://vaclavkouba.byl.cz/WTOTEXT3.htm.
Similar protesting letters sent to Director General of the OIE and to some other international authorities can be found in http://vaclavkouba.byl.cz/warnings.htm and
detailed analysis of the OIE document in http://vaclavkouba.byl.cz/oiecode.htm.
I informed Mr. Barak Obama, President of the United States on January 18, 2009 within the program „Change. gov: The Obama-Biden Transition Team/Health Care – Of
the People, By the People“. Text of this e-mail was entitled „Urgent need for stopping internationally organized spread of infections through trade detrimental to health of
US citizens“. Similar e-mail I sent on September 07, 2012. Both self-explanatory texts are attached.
Regards,
Vaclav”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Note: The author was addressed by his first name, therefore he responded in the same way.
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ADDENDUM II
AGRICULTURA TROPICA ET SUBTROPICA V, 4O5L/1. ,4 551 -(513), 2200112
Book Review
„The spread of pathogens through international trade“, OIE Scientifi c and Technical Review, Vol. 30 (1) April
2011, ISSN 0253-1933, ISBN: 978-92-9044-837-2
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The publication of 370 pages contains 26 papers edited
by S.C. MacDiarmid from New Zealand, a key member of
International Office of Epizootics (OIE) Terrestrial Animal
Health Standards Commission. The title reflects the most
important problem of global animal health - the mass spread
of communicable diseases causing incalculable millions
of sick and dead animals and humans due to pathogens
introduced through international trade.
The papers represent only compilations from selected publications
uncritically supporting OIE trade policy facilitating spread
of pathogens at the expense of health in importing countries.
Publications and references critical to this policy are
missing at all, thus confirming the absence of basic scientific
principles such as audiatur et altera pars. The numbers of
references fluctuate from 2 to 230 sources per paper. The
minimum belongs to the paper of A.B. Thiermann, President
of the OIE Terrestrial Code, with the same ideas repeated
many times in previous publications and conferences,
staunchly propagating World Trade Organization (WTO)
policy conducing to spread of pathogens. One might get
the impression that the OIE acts as in service of the WTO.
Not a single paper is seriously considering the natural
ability of imported pathogens to reproduce and spread
affecting enormous number of animals and humans of actual
and future generations, and thus multiplying all negative
sanitary, economic, social and ecological consequences. The
introduction of pathogens is relatively facile (even in one
moment), however their eradication is very difficult if not impossible. No one paper
is trying to analyze the important
role of the OIE in spread of pathogens through international
trade.
All authors, except for one, refer to so called “risk
assessment” (5 papers have the “risk” in title) when
according to the “OIE standard” the importing countries must
present to the exporting ones scientifically based convincing
justification of the risk if they refuse pathogen-non-free
import without full quality guarantee. Similar absurd
requirement is unknown in any other commodity where the
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sellers must convince the buyers and not conversely. As the
consequence the pathogen-non-free commodities imported
obligatorily (even under threat of WTO penalty) are paid as
for pathogen-free ones. It is known that this incredible trick,
based on subjective estimate of non-quantifiable biological
phenomenon, facilitating export of animal infection
pathogens, was initiated by the Editor of this publication.
He belongs together with R.K. Bruckner (author of two
papers) to OIE group that eliminated international reporting
on animal infections’ import in the middle of the 1990s.
In this way it was made impossible to analyze the spread
of pathogens through international trade, to evaluate its
causes and to expose or uncover the catastrophic “results”
of OIE trade policy reminding of international terrorism.
This artificial camouflage has prevented member country
governments and world public from obtaining truthful
information on spread of global pathogens through trade.
Therefore, the authors could not present any new concrete
data on the mass spread of pathogens through international
trade and any scientifically based analysis of its causes. The
same OIE group minimized the reporting on occurrence of
diseases (reduced to a “+”) and making it impossible for
importing countries to estimate realistically the disease
introduction risk. This again facilitates the export of
pathogens. At that time also government control services
were minimized and were replaced by non-public ones,
generally known as less reliable and more susceptible to
corruption. This fact multiplies the chance for the spread of
pathogens through international trade.
(cont.)
ADDENDUM II - Continuation
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No one paper comments on the “OIE standards” not
requiring trade in healthy animals and products (pathogen-free
export), not requiring full quality guarantee certificates
as it is normal in any other commodity, admitting and even
supporting export of the pathogens. OIE model certificates
require only sanitary information and not sanitary guarantee,
i.e. guaranteeing nothing. Therefore the importing country
cannot claim the introduction of pathogens and must
solve the post-import losses itself. No one paper supports
explicitly full sanitary quality export to avoid spread of
pathogens through international trade.
We are witnessing a very well prepared trickery facilitating
pathogen-non-free export at the expense of human and
animal health in importing countries. The problem is not
theoretically estimated uncontrollable “risk assessment” or
its “mitigation” (i.e. admitting limited import of pathogens)
as repeatedly mentioned in almost all papers. The problem
is very practical - to avoid international spread of pathogens
requiring to export healthy animals and their products, i.e.
innocuous ones not causing post-import problems. In spite
of all my effort I could not find in the whole publication this
normal requirement as well as even the words “pathogen-free
animals” or “pathogen-free animal products”. On the
other hand I could find many demagogical formulations
such as “ensuring safe international trade” while it de facto
means ensuring unsafe trade. The benevolent trade policy
of OIE facilitating export of pathogens has allowed in the
majority of exporting countries to prefer the cheapest “doing
nothing” strategy against animal infections deteriorating the
national animal population health.
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The publication is exaggeratedly favourable to the OIE
(“independent” inter-governmental organization outside
of the United Nations) unfair trade policy conducing
consciously to globalization of animal infections through
international trade in contrast to the UN policy trying
to improve global animal population health (e.g. global
rinderpest eradication in 2010). The publication, reminding
us of products of advertising agencies, as a whole supports
without convincing arguments the OIE policy preferring
export business before consistent protection of animal
health against communicable diseases (OIE original basic
duty) in spite of irreparable lasting disastrous sanitary
impacts in the whole world. Conscious support or even
organization of such spread of pathogens belongs among
criminal acts. The authors´ warning and protesting letters
see in http://vaclavkouba.byl.cz/warnings.htm. Scientifi c
publications require a well balanced approach based on
objective truth supported by concrete data and not unilateral
uncritical propagation of an organization policy (moreover,
questionable) as it is in this case.
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Václav Kouba