sanitary & phytosanitary measures
Thematic Session on the Use of Remote (Virtual) Audit and Verification in Regulatory Frameworks
Virtual + WTO 21/06/2022 - 10:00–18:00
An SPS thematic session on the Use of Remote (Virtual) Audit and Verification in Regulatory Frameworks was held in June 2022, as agreed by the SPS Committee in November 2021. A draft programme was circulated in document G/SPS/GEN/2016, based on a proposal submitted by Australia in document G/SPS/GEN/1949/Rev.1. The final programme for the thematic session is contained in document G/SPS/GEN/2016/Rev.1.
The thematic session was held in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, 21 June 2022, beginning at 10:00 (CET), and continuing in the afternoon at 15:00 (CET). Delegates attended the thematic session in person or virtually through the Interprefy platform. Interpretation was provided in English, French, and Spanish.
The report is contained in Annex B of document G/SPS/R/107.
In addition, the thematic session was webcast live on the WTO website. The recordings of the sessions are available here:
Morning session (10:00 – 13:00 CET)
Afternoon session (15:00 – 18:00 CET)
PROGRAMME
Opening remarks
Mr Juteau Déadjufo Toussé
Chairperson of the SPS Committee
1. RELEVANT PROVISIONS OF THE SPS AGREEMENT
Mr Rolando Alcalá
WTO Secretariat
Presentation
Followed by Q&A session and discussion.
2. FORMS OF REMOTE ASSESSMENT
This session will provide insights into various forms of remote assessments such as the review of documentation and video inspection, including those used during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the link with regulatory frameworks.
Mr Jean Felipe Celestino Gouhie
Head of International Audits Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply, Brazil.
Remote Audits: Brazilian Experience.
Presentation
Ms Jenny Loi
Deputy Director, Risk Management and Surveillance Department, Joint Operations Division, Singapore Food Agency, Singapore.
Singapore's experience in remote audits.
Presentation
Dr John McEvoy
Head of Unit F4, European Commission Directorate General Health and Food Safety, European Union.
Remote auditing of the operation of official control systems in the SPS domain – Experience of the European Commission's Health and food, audits and analysis Directorate.
Presentation
Dr Gabor Molnar
Associate Industrial Development Expert, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF)/UNIDO Project Preparation Grant on "Remote Inspection Practices in Food Safety for Improved Trade".
Presentation
Followed by Q&A session and discussion.
3. RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND OTHER INITIATIVES
This session will provide an update on relevant international standards, guidelines and/or recommendations and other ongoing work relating to remote audit and other forms of remote assessment.
Ms Nicola Hinder
Chair of CCFICS and First Assistant Secretary, Exports and Veterinary Services Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Australia.
Codex – Developing guidance on the use of remote audit and verification in regulatory frameworks.
Presentation
Dr Annelies Deuss
Agricultural Policy Analyst, Trade and Agriculture Directorate, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Ongoing work on remote audit at the OECD.
Presentation
Ms Anne Gerardi and Mr Howard Popoola
Ms Anne Gerardi, Senior Manager; and Mr Howard Popoola, Steering Committee Co-chair, Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).
GFSI and the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the food safety supply chain for third party audits: learnings and challenges.
Presentation
Followed by Q&A session and discussion.
4. ROUNDTABLE - PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES ON THE USE OF REMOTE AUDIT
In this roundtable discussion, Members and industry representatives of the agri-food sector will exchange experiences and discuss the benefits of using remote assessment methods such as remote (virtual) audit to facilitate international trade. The challenges associated with remote audit will also be discussed, including those related to privacy and security issues.
Moderator
Ms Nicola Hinder
Chair of CCFICS and First Assistant Secretary, Exports and Veterinary Services Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Australia.
Dr Bill Jolly
Chief Assurance Strategy Officer, Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand.
Dr Sibel Bas
Veterinarian, Department of Border Control for Animal and Animal Products, Directorate General for Food and Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Türkiye.
Dr Ashok Mengi and Dr Aman Deep
Dr Ashok Mengi, National Manager; and Dr Aman Deep, National Veterinary Specialist, Food Systems Evaluation, International Programs Directorate, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Canada.
Ms Clare Rapa-Marley
Head of Global Supplier Standards and Audits, Tesco PLC, United Kingdom.
Followed by Q&A session and discussion.
5. CASE STUDY EXAMPLES ON THE USE OF REMOTE AUDIT
Members and industry representatives of the agri-food sector will present case studies on the use of remote audit. Those case studies will be the occasion to shed light on the benefits and challenges of remote audit in practice.
Mr Hector Escobar and Mr Álvaro Díaz Gallmetzer
Mr Hector Escobar, Head of the Sub-Directorate of Food Safety and Certification, National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service; and Mr Álvaro Díaz Gallmetzer, Food Safety and Certification Department, Livestock Protection Division, Agriculture and Livestock Service, Chile.
Chile's experience with remote audits in animal and plant products processing establishments.
Presentation
Ms Choi Eun Ju
Deputy Director, On-site Inspection Division, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Republic of Korea.
The COVID-19 pandemic, pre-emptive response with remote inspection.
Presentation
Mr Jim Moseley
CEO of Red Tractor, United Kingdom.
Use of remote audit by a UK voluntary third party assurance (vTPA) scheme, approach and lessons learned.
Presentation
Followed by Q&A session and discussion.
6. PANEL DISCUSSION - THE FUTURE FOR REMOTE AUDIT: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Panellists will discuss the opportunities and challenges regarding the future use of remote audit. Questions from the floor would be welcome during the discussion.
Moderator
Ms Nicola Hinder
Chair of CCFICS and First Assistant Secretary, Exports and Veterinary Services Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Australia.
Mr Jean Felipe Celestino Gouhie
Head of International Audits Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply, Brazil. Remote Audits: Brazilian Experience.
Dr John McEvoy
Head of Unit F4, European Commission Directorate General Health and Food Safety, European Union. Remote auditing of the operation of official control systems in the SPS domain – Experience of the European Commission's Health and food, audits and analysis Directorate.
Mr Carlos Navarro and Mr Claudio Moore
Mr Carlos Navarro, Head of the Department of Animal Health, National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service; and Mr Claudio Moore, Department of Phytosanitary Regulation and Certification, Agricultural, Forestry and Seed Protection Division, Agriculture and Livestock Service, Chile.
Dr Annelies Deuss
Agricultural Policy Analyst, Trade and Agriculture Directorate, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
7. CLOSING REMARKS
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