Laboratories which produce veterinary vaccines

Borders, continents and oceans no longer provide a significant barrier to the movement of goods and services. Under the regulations of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the World Trade Organisation, governments may no longer prevent the importation of veterinary vaccines without scientific proof that the product would pose a threat to the health and safety of the nation. The origins of production laboratories for veterinary vaccines and the management of those laboratories are as diverse as the government programmes by which they are regulated. Both processed-based and performance-based approaches can be equally effective in the quality assurance of products. Seven international and regulatory initiatives have been developed to review these regulatory systems and, where possible, to harmonise standards and/or recognise equivalents to ease the movement of products. Continued exchange of information on a regional and world-wide basis can ensure the quality and availability of veterinary vaccines for animal health programmes around the world.