Attending the WOAH General Session as part of the Canadian Delegation

I’m Emma Gardner, the interim coordinator for the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System (CAHSS), and this May I had the privilege of representing Animal Health Canada and its divisions as part of Canada’s delegation to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) General Session—an annual gathering where members share scientific updates, and vote on global animal-health standards and resolutions.

Program overview

The WOAH general session can be divided into three main parts, the Animal Health Forum, the general plenary sessions, and the side events.

1. Animal Health Forum – Vaccines and Vaccination

This year’s Forum focused on vaccines and vaccination, with expert-led panels and lively discussion. While the agenda stayed broad, HPAI vaccination was clearly top of mind. One standout for me was a presentation from France’s Chief Veterinary Officer, who outlined their strategy for HPAI vaccination while preserving trade—highlighting the importance of transparency and early communication with both trade partners and the public. Dis- and misinformation and vaccine hesitancy were recurring themes, with a clear message repeated across sessions: “communicate early, communicate often.” A draft resolution on vaccines and vaccination, developed by Forum rapporteurs, was later ratified during plenary. Link to resolution

2. Plenary Sessions – Global updates and standard-setting

The plenary covered global disease updates, adoption of new standards, regional reports, and the election of governance bodies. Key highlights included:

• The launch of WOAH’s first State of the World’s Animal Health report. View the report.
• HPAI in cattle was classified as an emerging disease and is now notifiable. Case definition. SARS-CoV-2 in animals, however, was not deemed notifiable due to its global spread.
• The first international vaccine standard for ASF was adopted to guide safe and effective vaccine development. Read more.
• New chapters and revisions are underway, including on emergency management and animal welfare during transport.
• Two new Collaborating Centres involving Canada were approved:

1. Université de Montréal (WVEPAH) – advanced training in livestock health
2. Wildlife Pathogens Consortium – including the University of Saskatchewan and Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre

3. Side Events led by Canada

Canada co-hosted two technical side sessions: one with Norway on reviewing the aquaculture standards up for adoption, and another with the U.S. and Chile on ASF zoning and regionalization.

I found the General Session incredibly insightful—I was able to deepen my understanding of how international standards are developed and how Canada’s perspectives fit into the global animal health landscape. I appreciated staying up to date on emerging priorities and key issues in global animal health. Perhaps the most gratifying part was connecting with other members of the Canadian delegation and catching up with friends and colleagues from around the world.

Canadian Delegation in attendance:

• Emma Gardner – Animal Health Canada/ Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System
• Amanda Pufall – Canadian Hatching Egg Producers (CHEP)
• Amanda Borchardt – Grieg Seafood
• Catherine Filejski - Canadian Animal Health institute (CAHI)
• Egan Brockhoff – Canadian Pork Council
• Gabriela Guigou– Canadian Cattle Association
• Damien Joly -Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC)
• Malenka Georgiou –Turkey Farmers of Canada
• Cheryl Schroeder – Dairy Farmers of Canada
• Steve Leech –Chicken farmers Canada
• Trevor Lawson – past president of Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
• Parthiban Muthukumarasamy – Executive Director of international programs for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
• Suminder Sawhney – Senior Director Animal import/export division of CFIA
• Mary Jane Ireland – FederalChief Veterinary Officer (CVO)
• Bernita Griffin – Advisor to CVO
• Derrick Milburn – Senior advisor to CVO