OIE to Establish a US-Based Liaison Office in Texas

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) announced in June it will establish a liaison office in the U.S. later this year, increasing collaboration with organizations based in the U.S. that have an interest in global animal health. The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) has been represented at meetings regarding this process and engaged in related discussions to enhance its capability for global swine disease monitoring.

The OIE U.S. office will be hosted by the Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases based in College Station (Texas) – a unit within the Texas A&M University System that was recognized as an OIE Collaborating Centre in the domain of biological threat reduction in 2014. The OIE office is expected to open on October 1, 2017, with the aims of increasing collaboration, establishing partnerships and maintaining donor relations with several U.S. state agencies and departments as well as organizations based in the U.S with an interest in global animal health and animal welfare. This office will also offer support to the OIE headquarters based in Paris.

Created in 1924, the OIE’s missions are:

• • to ensure transparency in the global animal disease situation
• • to safeguard world trade by publishing health standards for international trade in animals and animal products
• • to encourage international solidarity in the control of animal diseases in particular by improving the legal framework and resources of national Veterinary Services. With respect to its standard setting mandate, the OIE is recognized as the reference organization for animal health and zoonoses by the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The OIE currently has a total of 181 member countries and 12 regional and sub-regional representations located on each continent.

Funded by America’s pork producers to protect and enhance the health of the US swine herd, the Swine Health Information Center focuses its efforts on prevention, preparedness, and response. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research for the benefit of swine health. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. For more information, visit https://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Paul Sundberg at [email protected]