BRUSSELS — The Global Alliance of Pet Food Associations (GAPHA) announced that the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) recently updated the Terrestrial Animal Health Code at its 91st General Assembly to recognize dry, extruded pet food and heat-treated meat products (including pet food) in hermetically sealed containers as a safe commodity with respect to Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Rift Valley Fever virus (RVF) and African Swine Fever (ASF). This recognition assures countries that dry, extruded pet food can safely be traded regardless of disease outbreak status of the producing country or the country of origin of the raw materials.
“This recognition of extruded, dry and retorted wet pet food as a safe commodity with respect to African Swine Fever, Foot and Mouth Disease, and Rift Valley Fever is a major milestone in assuring that this pet food can continue to be safely traded regardless of the disease outbreak status of a producing country,” said Loretta Hunter, president of GAPFA.
This recognition is the result of a scientific evaluation and review of data which showed the processing of extruded dry pet food as safe with respect to ASF, RVF and FMD. Previously, WOAH had recognized heat-treated meat products in hermetically sealed containers with a F0 value of 3 or above as a safe commodity as well. With these updates to the Terrestrial Code, both extruded dry and heat-treated wet pet food that meet the specified conditions are not considered a biosecurity risk for trade.
The WOAH Terrestrial Code is a set of guidelines and standards aimed at ensuring the health and welfare of terrestrial animals, meaning animals that live primarily on land. The code provides a framework for countries to develop and implement effective animal health policies and practices, as well as facilitate safe international trade in animals and animal products, ensuring that health risks are minimized.
ASF, RVF and FMD have now joined Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) as diseases that both dry, extruded and heat-treated pet food are deemed safe commodities, regardless of producing country disease status. This means that even if an exporting country has cases of infection with any of those diseases, pet food meeting the standards in the Terrestrial Code can be traded safely.
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