Which statement about international trade after a foreign animal disease outbreak is correct?

• A. Trade resumes once any single country is declared FAD-free.
• B. Trade resumes after 30 days with no new cases.
• C. Trade resumes after the OIE is notified.
• D. Trade resumes after all the OIE standards for the disease are met.

Answer: (D)

In international animal health trade, decisions about resuming movement of animals and products hinge on meeting international, risk-based standards designed to protect other countries from introducing disease. The statement that trade resumes only after all the OIE standards for the disease are met is the best answer because the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) sets specific, disease‑specific requirements for trade. These include confirming the exporting country’s disease status, implementing appropriate surveillance and control measures, having verified export health certifications, and demonstrating that risk has been mitigated to the importing country’s satisfaction. Only when all these standards are satisfied can trade resume safely.

Why the other options don’t fit: resuming trade based on a single country being declared FAD-free ignores global risk and the need for harmonized international criteria; a fixed time period with no new cases is arbitrary and doesn’t guarantee compliance with the required safeguards; merely notifying the OIE triggers risk assessment and transparency, but does not by itself authorize trade resumption without demonstrated adherence to the full standards.