REP13/FH JOINT FAO/WHO FOOD STANDARDS PROGRAMME ...

REP13/FH 7
PROPOSED DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR CONTROL OF SPECIFIC ZOONOTIC PARASITES IN MEAT:
TRICHINELLA SPIRALIS AND CYSTICERCUS BOVIS (Agenda Item 5) 9
57. The Delegation of the European Union recalled that: FAO and WHO had reviewed and were updating
the risk profiles for Trichinella spiralis and Taenia saginata /Cysticercus bovis, which would be then made
available on the FAO and WHO websites; the electronic working group had revised the proposed draft
guidelines on Trichinella spp. to take into account the draft revision of Chapter 8.13 “Infection with Trichinella
spp” of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code; and comments submitted indicated that the scope of the
Codex work on Trichinella spp. should be limited to meat of suidae. It was noted that the OIE had invited the
chairpersons of the Codex electronic working group to participate in the latest meeting of the OIE ad hoc
Group who revised Chapter 8.13 “Infection with Trichinella spp” of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code,
taking into account OIE Member comments, and thus close liaison had been established between the work
of OIE and Codex.
58. The Delegation of the European Union introduced the report of the in-session working group (CRD 27)
and explained that the meeting had considered three possible options for the completion of the work on
Trichinella spp.:
Option (i) based on the pathway of the current draft of the revised OIE Chapter 8.13, which describes
requirements for establishing a “negligible risk compartment”;
Option (ii) based on a proposal for achieving and maintaining a “negligible risk compartment” following
an alternative pathway to that described in the current draft OIE Chapter 8.13; and
Option (iii) based on the possibility of achieving a negligible risk status for a country or region for
domestic pigs with possible interaction with wildlife, based on an independent pathway to that
described in the current draft OIE Chapter 8.13.
59. He explained that Option (ii) required less extensive on-farm auditing to maintain the “negligible risk
compartment” than Option (i) because the pathway was linked to a slaughterhouse monitoring plan. It further
noted for Option (ii) to become operational, it required including additional provisions in the current draft OIE
Chapter 8.13.
60. The Delegation of the European Union noted that Option (iii) was not based on the current draft OIE
Chapter on Trichinella but on monitoring of “sentinel animals” e.g. wild boars or other wildlife and on the
horizontal good veterinary practices of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code.
61. The Delegation of New Zealand explained that to complete the guidelines for the control of Trichinella
spp.and Taenia saginata /Cysticercus bovis the Committee needed to develop risk-based parameters based
on slaughterhouse data with the assistance of FAO and WHO. These parameters would guide decisions on
post mortem control measures. He further noted that this work would require close collaboration between
the electronic working group and FAO and WHO and that some examples of these parameters were
available for consideration.
62. The Committee considered the three different options and supported Options (i) and (ii). With regard
to Option (ii), the Committee noted that it was necessary that Members supporting this option coordinate
their position at country-level with national delegates to OIE. In this regard the Observer of OIE recalled that
the draft revised OIE Chapter had been recently circulated with a deadline for comments by
18 January 2013.
63. The Committee did not support Option (iii), which referred to possible monitoring of wildlife, as this was
outside the scope of this work at this time.
64. The Committee noted that the official recognition of animal disease status was the remit of OIE and
highlighted the importance to continue strengthening the collaboration with OIE without overlapping with
each other’s responsibilities. It further noted that strengthened collaboration with OIE would ensure
consistency of Codex and OIE texts and allow countries to implement consistently control measures along
the entire food chain.
65. The Committee noted that the options described above for the control of Trichinella spp. did not apply
to the proposed draft guidelines for Taenia saginata /Cysticercus bovis.
9
CX/FH 12/44/7; comments of Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Norway, St. Lucia and USA
(CX/FH 12/44/7-Add.1); (CRDs); Kenya (CRD 8); Vietnam (CRD 11); Indonesia (CRD 13); Peru (CRD 18); Republic
of Korea (CRD 20); report of in-session working group on control of specific zoonotic parasites in meat (CRD 27).