Statement by Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Mark Schipp

Australia’s veterinary services were recently assessed and found to serve Australia well by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the influential global body that sets health standards for international trade in animals and animal products.

The OIE’s final report of Australia’s Performance of Veterinary Services (PVS), evaluated Australia’s animal health and biosecurity system with 38 of the 47 criteria measured given the highest competency level, at level five. The remaining criteria were all assessed at either level three or four.

This independent and globally recognised report stands Australia’s reputation as a producer and exporter of safe and healthy animals and animal products in good stead.

In the report, the four international OIE evaluators complimented Australia on:

• the widespread understanding of the importance of biosecurity to the nation
• our technical proficiency in areas such as veterinary education, risk analysis and laboratory capability
• the comprehensive measures in place to protect our borders, undertake surveillance and prepare for emergencies, and
• our effective partnerships between governments and industry.

The report’s findings show how the parts of our veterinary system add up to deliver our strong animal health status that in turn underpins our capacity to access international markets.

These strong systems are the result of a shared effort between the Australian Government, state and territory governments, industry, as well as private veterinarians.

This report recognises the collaborative approach to maintaining our animal health status and the benefits that brings Australia—it is something we could not achieve without the assistance of Australia’s nearly 13,000 registered veterinarians.

More than 130 countries, including many of Australia’s major trade competitors, have been assessed by the OIE against the same standards.

The detailed document reflected the findings of an expert OIE team that visited Australia in October and November 2015, holding meetings with veterinary authorities and their stakeholders, and visiting more than 60 field sites in all states and territories.

The full OIE PVS report is available at the OIE website​.