8. The Task Force noted matters of interest from FAO, WHO and OIE relating to animal feeding and food safety.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
9. The representatives of FAO informed the Task Force of the activities of the Animal Production and Health Division and of the Food and Nutrition Division to promote the proper and efficient use of available animal feed resources and to ensure the quality and safety of food of animal origin. They also informed the Task Force of FAO' s the technical advice and published material on animal feeding and related aspects of veterinary public health. An FAO monograph on Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) had been developed and updated in 1998 and a substantial information system on animal feed resources would be available on CD-Rom and from FAO Website. The Representatives highlighted the increasing emphasis given to feed safety in the Organization's Programme of Work and Budget for the current biennium and in its Medium Term Plan 2003-2007, and informed that the 22nd FAO Regional Conference for Europe (Porto, Portugal, 24-28 July 2000) will discuss the issue of food safety as affected by animal feedstuff.
10. The Task Force was informed that a Code of Good Irradiation Practice for the Control of Pathogenic Microorganisms in Poultry Feed had been prepared by the International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation (ICGFI) and issued by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna 1995.
11. The Task Force recalled that, in 1997, FAO had convened the Expert Consultation on Animal Feeding and Food Safety, which dealt specifically with the interface between animal feeding and food safety. The Consultation had developed the draft Code of Practice for Good Animal Feeding which constituted the basis for the work of this Task Force.
12. The Task Force also noted that a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Foods Derived from Biotechnology had been held in Geneva, Switzerland from 27 May to 2 June 2000, and that some of its recommendations would be relevant to the work of this Task Force. The Representative of FAO informed the Task Force that the report would be available in the near future.
World Health Organization (WHO)
13. The Representative from WHO emphasized to the Task Force the crucial role of good animal feeding practices in animal production to protect public health and ensure fair practices in international trade. The Strategy of WHO was primarily to strengthen the health systems and control the occurrence of risk factors and the priority was given to food safety.
14. The Task Force noted the report of the Director General of WHO on food safety prepared for the 53rd Session of the WHO Assembly held in May 2000 which pointed out that a number of extremely serious outbreaks of foodborne disease had occurred. Some of the outbreaks were related to animal feed as a source of initial contamination and had an international impact of major public concern such as BSE and dioxin cases. The Representative informed that the WHO Assembly had adopted a Resolution on Food Safety which urged the increased use of science and evidence in the assessment of risks and recognized the importance of the work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
15. The Task Force noted the WHO Consultation on Global Principles for the Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance was held from 5-9 June 2000 in Geneva in relation to antimicrobial use in animals intended for food, following a global discussion by an electronic working group. It was informed that an agreement had been reached and that many members of the Codex had been involved in this activity. Inputs from various international organizations of different disciplines, including consumers and industries, had been incorporated. The Representative requested the Task Force and the Commission to take the recommendations of the Consultation into account and noted that the report would be available on WHO Website in the near future.
Office International des Epizooties (OIE)
16. The Task Force noted the issues and interests of the OIE related to animal feeding and food safety were complementary to those of FAO and WHO. The Representative from OIE informed that the primary emphasis of the OIE was on infectious diseases in animals as well as zoonoses and the main area of interest with regard to animal feed was infectious diseases that could be transmitted through feed. An OIE's ad-hoc group discussed the antimicrobial resistance problem in relation to the use of veterinary drugs, but in the area of feedingstuffs, there was a shortage of experience and resources. OIE hoped to contribute to this debate through its relations with other international organizations.
17. The Representative emphasized that OIE had developed standards to prevent infectious agents in animal feed and provided some specific examples of established standards for diseases such as BSE, Swine Vesicular Disease and Rinderpest in animal feed from the OIE International Animal Health Code.
18. The Task Force was informed that a draft version of Strategic Plan for the activities of the OIE for the period of 2001-2005 was discussed at the Annual General Session of OIE held in May 2000. The Strategic Plan stated the OIE involvement in feedstuffs could be counterproductive to the overall performance of the organisation. It was noted that this plan recommended OIE not to proceed in this area at present but should monitor and reevaluate the appropriateness of involvement over the next five years. The Strategic Plan, however, emphasized that the OIE should work closely with FAO and WHO and should negotiate a better defined and cooperative role with the Codex Alimentarius Commission to address the issue of food safety.
19. The Representative reiterated its complementary role with FAO and WHO based on the recommendations but the OIE would limit its activities in the area of animal feed at the present time and focus on those activities dealing with the transmission of infectious diseases.
