World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)

The World Organisation for Animal Health, commonly known as WOAH, is headquartered in Paris, France. Despite its base in Paris, WOAH operates on a global scale, collaborating with numerous countries to monitor and report on animal health conditions that significantly influence the dairy industry.

Important Events

Recently, WOAH recognized Russia as free from foot-and-mouth disease. This recognition is crucial for Russia, as it enhances the country's ability to export dairy and other animal products internationally, thereby expanding its market reach. Additionally, WOAH actively publishes reports on outbreaks of zoonotic diseases that can impact the dairy sector, such as African horse sickness, sheep and goat pox, lumpy skin disease, Newcastle disease, and highly pathogenic avian influenza.

WOAH has also reported new cases of bluetongue, a viral disease affecting cattle and sheep, with outbreaks in Romania and Italy. Moreover, WOAH issued a global alert concerning the H5N1 avian influenza subtype in cattle, categorizing it as an emerging disease. This alert necessitates a reassessment of international biosecurity and surveillance protocols to prevent unwarranted trade restrictions.

Company Plans

WOAH is committed to enhancing its global surveillance and reporting systems to manage and mitigate risks associated with animal health. These initiatives aim to support the dairy industry in accessing and maintaining global markets by ensuring safe production and trade practices.

In addition, WOAH sets standards, such as those by OMSA, providing guidelines for animal welfare during transport. These standards include maximum travel times, load density, and transporter training. The adoption of these standards by several countries in Latin America underscores WOAH's influence on international animal welfare practices.

WOAH certification is instrumental for countries like India, the world's largest milk producer, enabling them to commence dairy exports to markets requiring disease-free status. This certification is essential for India's dairy export strategy, allowing processors in disease-free zones to meet sanitary and import-control requirements applied by destination countries.

WOAH serves as a reference unit for confirming avian influenza diagnoses, with samples being sent to the organization for confirmation.