What role does the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) play in U.S. animal health policy?

• A. It sets international animal health standards that influence U.S. import/export controls and disease-control practices
• B. It certifies U.S. meat for export
• C. It enforces domestic animal welfare laws
• D. It funds state dairy plant inspections

Answer: (A)

International standards set by the World Organisation for Animal Health guide how the United States shapes its animal health policies, especially around imports, exports, and disease control. The OIE develops codes and guidelines, like the Terrestrial and Aquatic Health Codes, that cover how diseases are surveilled, reported, and controlled, and how health certifications for international trade should be prepared. The U.S. uses these standards to align its own surveillance, diagnostic, and vaccination practices and to issue import/export health attestations, ensuring its trade measures meet internationally recognized risk-based criteria. The OIE also maintains reporting systems that help U.S. authorities monitor global disease activity and respond appropriately, and its work feeds into trade rules supported by the WTO’s sanitary and phytosanitary framework.

It does not certify U.S. meat for export; certification is handled by national authorities under domestic law and export procedures. It does not enforce domestic animal welfare laws, which are administered by national and state agencies. It does not fund state dairy plant inspections, which are funded by federal and state government programs.