In the context of the Fifth Review of the Operation and Implementation of the SPS Agreement, Brazil, Kenya, Madagascar, Paraguay, the United States of America and Uruguay submitted a joint proposal for the Committee on the role of the WTO SPS Agreement in enabling access to tools and technologies and facilitating international trade, and offered recommendations for further discussions in the Committee (G/SPS/W/305). They further suggested that interested Members form a working group to undertake the activities outlined in the proposal for consideration by the Committee under the Fifth Review. At its November 2018 meeting, the Committee decided to hold a thematic session on fall armyworm (FAW).
This programme is based on the structure suggested by the co-sponsors of the proposal (G/SPS/W/309 and G/SPS/W/309/Corr.1).
The report of the Thematic Session is contained in document G/SPS/R/94.
Chairperson: Ms Noncedo Vutula
1 The SPS Agreement
Review of provisions of the SPS Agreement and WTO dispute settlement reports relevant to regulatory approaches that enable access to safe tools and technologies.
Speaker:
2 Fall armyworm: The problem, the tools and technologies
Information on the impact of the spread of this invasive pest across the globe; impact on food security and trade; the particular challenges for smallholders; description of tools and technologies for control; efficacy, resistance and economic factors to consider in integrated pest management (IPM) strategies.
Speakers:
- Dr Joseph Huesing, Entomologist, USAID - Bureau for Food Security, Fall Armyworm Team, Food Security Service Center, United States Agency for International Development, USAID
Fall armyworm in Africa and Asia: IPM strategies to manage the pest
Presentation
- Dr MaryLucy Oronje, Knowledge Bank Coordinator, CABI Africa
Fall armyworm: Impacts and management in Africa
Presentation
- Dr Maruthi Prasanna Boddupalli, Director of the CGIAR Research Program MAIZE and Global Maize Program, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, CIMMYT-Kenya
Host plant resistance to fall armyworm: Status and prospects
Presentation
- Ms Rose Monnerat, Coordinator of Research Group on Biological Control, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, EMBRAPA, Brazil
Strategies for biological control of FAW in corn crops
Presentation
3 Global, regional and domestic approaches
Overview of global partnerships and development assistance efforts with focus on efforts to enable regulatory frameworks that facilitate access to safe and effective tools and technologies.
Speakers:
- Dr Jean Gérard Mezui M’Ella, Director, African Union Inter-African Phytosanitary Council, AU-IAPSC
IAPSC's technical and policy activities on FAW in Africa
Presentation
- Dr Angela Records, Science Advisor in the Bureau for Food Security, United States Agency for International Development, USAID
The FAW challenge: Using the principles of development to create a policy enabling environment
Presentation
- Dr Gbemenou Joselin Benoit Gnonlonfin, ECOWAS-USAID Senior SPS Standards Adviser, Directorate Agriculture and Rural Development, and Department of Industry and Private Sector Promotion, ECOWAS
West Africa perspectives on FAW monitoring and its effective control
Presentation
- Dr Panagiota Mylona, Policy Officer, Directorate General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission, European Union
The European Union actions on FAW
Presentation
- Mr Ming-Yao Chiang, Assistant Researcher, Council of Agriculture, Chinese Taipei
Controlling and investigating Spodoptera sp.
Presentation
- Mr Fahari Marwa, Principal Agricultural Economist, East African Community (EAC) Secretariat
Fall armyworm: Status and priorities for East Africa – Experiences and lessons from EAC
Presentation
4 Members' experiences: Successes and challenges in improving regulatory frameworks to support farmer access to safe and effective tools and technologies
Members report on their experiences and recommend ways in which the SPS Committee could enhance their efforts.
Speakers:
- Mr Jan Hendrik Venter, Manager, Early Warning Systems, Directorate Plant Health, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa
Fall armyworm outbreak: The South African experience
Presentation
- Dr Zachary Kinyua, Assistant Director and Head, Crop Health Research, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Kenya
Challenges and current initiatives on management of fall armyworm
Presentation
- Mr Santiago Bertoni, Agricultural Trade Coordinator, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Paraguay
Adoption of sustainable technologies by small producers in Paraguay: A case study
Presentation
- Mr David Porritt, Director of Trade Policy and Negotiations, Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, Australia
Regulation of genetically modified organisms in Australia
Presentation