Aquatic Animal Health Management: A Global Responsibility

As a powerful international organization in global disease management, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) is working hard with countries to prevent and control diseases in the agricultural sector, especially the aquaculture sector because it provides 50% of animal protein for humans.

Need to be respected

In many countries, veterinary medicine is a profession that is highly valued from the training stage. Licensed veterinarians must undergo rigorous training. Only those with real ability and knowledge can become veterinarians. According to the OIE, without a quality human resource system in the veterinary industry in each country, the OIE will find it difficult to grasp the global epidemic situation and promptly come up with solutions.

OIE is working to develop a system of legal documents applicable to member countries and territories to help them protect their fisheries from the risk of infection and disease outbreaks without having to erect unreasonable quarantine barriers.

At the same time, many countries also focus on building an effective management system. In Korea, the government divides the veterinary industry into two agencies for easy management: the Animal Disease Prevention Agency and the Veterinary Food Safety Administration. These two agencies are under the Korean Ministry of Agriculture. Germany also manages the veterinary industry with the Institute of Veterinary Food Hygiene and Consumer Protection, which is larger than the Institute of Microbiology and the Institute of

OIE is also working to develop a system of legal documents applicable to member countries and territories to help them protect their fisheries industries from the risk of infection and disease outbreaks without having to erect unreasonable quarantine barriers.

Law and consciousness

OIE has established the Aquatic Veterinary Code and the Guidelines for the Practice of Diagnosis of Aquatic Diseases, whose content is under the responsibility of the Aquatic Veterinary Standards Management Committee; with the assistance of many internationally renowned experts in the veterinary industry. This organization also affirms that if the OIE standards have been seriously applied, the possibility of successful disease management will be very high. Therefore, the awareness of those involved in the aquaculture industry, especially farmers or businesses, plays an important role. These standards are all guided by OIE in quite detail.

OIE has 27 laboratories and 1 Collaborating Center for Aquatic Diseases, which are considered important links in the campaign to prevent and control aquatic diseases and control diseases through a series of services such as disease diagnosis, and consultants are always ready in emergency situations.

However, the OIE requires that these rules and regulations be applied responsibly. Therefore, the OIE pays special attention to training, dissemination and raising awareness of aquaculture farmers, especially in Asian countries. Since 2006, the OIE has organized a conference on aquaculture veterinary medicine in Norway to improve effective disease management globally. In 2011, this conference continued to be held in Panama to raise awareness of the importance of aquaculture veterinary medicine and to build a global framework for effective management, prevention and control of aquaculture diseases.

With over 50 years of in-depth research in the field of aquatic animals, OIE regularly encourages and encourages members to comply with the system of standards and regulations to prevent and control diseases, and at the same time trade these products according to the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on food hygiene and safety and quarantine. Raising awareness of applying standards is no longer the responsibility of OIE alone. It requires the participation of the government of that country, close connection between veterinarians, aquatic veterinary experts, farmers... with the ultimate goal of the health of the whole community.

According to Vietnam Fisheries