Bluetongue trade issues--an Australian perspective.

Although bluetongue (BT) causes large numbers of sheep mortalities in some parts of the world, the main economic global impact is due to restricted trade. Australia supports a risk-based approach using current scientific knowledge to determine animal health requirements for international trade. It is important that import health conditions for bluetongue virus (BTV) are based on science and are consistent with international guidelines. The Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO) specifies basic rights and obligations of importing and exporting member countries. The Terrestrial animal health code of the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) provides specific guidelines for BTV and general guidelines for many trade-related matters, including surveillance and zoning. The combined effect of relevant WTO-related measures and the OIE guidelines is to both encourage and require countries to apply import health requirements that are based on sound science and which afford justifiable protection without being unnecessarily trade restrictive.