One of the key functions of the SPS Committee is to provide a forum for WTO members to discuss their food safety, animal and plant health measures in order to ensure that these measures do not unnecessarily restrict international trade. A total of eight new trade concerns were raised at the meeting and 16 measures previously discussed were back on the agenda, making it the highest number of specific trade concerns raised in the Committee’s history.

 

European Union — approval of biotech products

Several members raised concerns about the European Union’s proposed amendment of its approval procedure for genetically modified food and feed, also known as biotech products. The United States said that the amendment would allow EU member states to restrict or ban the use of such products with no justified reasons. Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Canada raised similar concerns, stating that the proposed revision would create unnecessary barriers to international trade. The EU has previously notified the proposed regulatory amendment to the WTO’s Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (see G/TBT/N/EU/284). Several members noted that such a measure should also be notified to the SPS Committee.

In response, the EU said that the proposal does not introduce any restriction or ban on biotech products, but would only provide the possibility for EU member states to opt out of the EU decision of authorisation if they wish, for overriding reasons of public interest. The EU also stressed that the proposal does not relate to the protection of the life or health of humans, animals or plants as covered by the SPS Agreement, and thus does not need to be notified to the SPS Committee.

 

China — proposed amendments of GMO approval procedure

The Committee discussed China’s proposed regulatory change related to biotech products. China recently notified the WTO about the proposed amendments of its safety assessment of agricultural genetically modified organisms (GMOs) (see G/SPS/N/CHN/881). Paraguay and the United States welcomed China’s notification, but noted the negative impact such a regulatory procedure could have on international trade. According to the United States, the delays and lack of transparency in China’s current biotech approval process remain a serious trade concern for exporters, and the proposed amendment could further prolong and complicate the approval process. In response, China said that the draft revision aims to enhance the safety assessment of agricultural GMOs, and invited WTO members to comment on the proposed revision.

 

Costa Rica — import ban on avocados

Mexico and Guatemala raised concerns about Costa Rica’s measure to temporarily suspend import certificates for avocados, due to the presence of avocado sunblotch viroid — a disease affecting avocado trees - in various avocado-producing countries. Costa Rica has suspended import certificates for avocados from certain exporters. The measure was notified to the WTO  in May 2015 (See G/SPS/N/CRI/160 and G/SPS/N/CRI/160/Add.1). Mexico and Guatemala said that Costa Rica’s measure halts trade and is not justified by scientific evidence. The concern was supported by the United States and South Africa. In response, Costa Rica noted that the measure aims to protect the country from being affected by sunblotch disease, and referred to its notification G/SPS/N/CRI/162. It also noted that it would maintain close dialogue with its trading partners to resolve the trade concerns.

 

Other matters

The meeting also discussed a few concerns that were raised at previous meetings of the SPS Committee, including the EU’s ongoing work on defining criteria for identifying endocrine disruptors, South Africa’s concern about EU measures on citrus black spot, import restrictions on Japanese food products following the nuclear power plant accident, and concerns expressed by Peru and a number of other countries regarding the application and modification of the EU regulation on novel foods.

The chairperson, Mr Felipe Hees of Brazil, who was elected as chair of the Committee in March 2015, reported on informal consultations held earlier in the week. The informal meetings dealt with some outstanding issues related to the Committee’s work, including SPS-related private standards, a proposal to add a legal disclaimer to a Catalogue of Instruments on SPS issues (G/SPS/W/279/Rev.2), and the revised draft report of the Fourth Review of the SPS Committee (G/SPS/W/280/Rev.2). Mr Hees recalled that no consensus was reached on the issues and invited members to explore new options to bridge the differences.

A session on risk communication was held on 15 July, where policy practitioners shared their experience on communicating public health risks to stakeholders and trading partners. Participants also saw a new short film by the Standards and Trade Development Facility showing how governments can make goods flow more quickly across borders while preventing the spread of pests or diseases and ensuring that food is safe for consumers.

 

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The SPS information management system includes all SPS-related measures notified by WTO members and the trade-related concerns discussed in previous SPS Committee meetings.