RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/SPS/R/8
9September 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-3603)
Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
SUMMARY OFTHE MEETING HELD ON
1-2JULY 1997
Note bytheSecretariat
1. TheCommitteeonSanitaryandPhytosanitaryMeasures("theCommittee")helditseighthmeeting
on1-2July1997,underthechairmanshipofDr.AlexThiermann(UnitedStates).Theagenda,proposed
inWTO/AIR/622 withaddendum, wasadopted withamendments.
2. TheChairman noted thattheproposed Rules ofProcedure adopted bytheCommittee atits
meeting ofMarch 1997 hadbeenapproved bytheCouncil forTrade inGoods (G/L/170), andwere,
therefore, currently inforce.
Observers
3. TheChairman noted thatinformal consultations regarding requests forobserver status inthe
SPSCommittee were continuing (G/SPS/W/78 andG/SPS/R/7).
Implementation oftheAgreement -Information from Members
General
4. Therepresentative ofPeruinformed theCommittee ofnewlegislation regarding sanitary and
hygienic regulations offoodandbeverages forhuman consumption, published inMay1997. Thefull
textoftheDecree iscontained inG/SPS/GEN/16.
5. Therepresentative ofChile made ageneral statement regarding thepractical implementation
oftheSPSAgreement inhiscountry. Hereported, interalia,onthedevelopment andadvancement
ofregional standards inMERCOSUR, theupdating ofbilateral agreements withcertain trading partners,
theestablishment ofaNational Committee fortheCodex Alimentarius, andtherecognition ofChile,
byanumber ofcountries, asacountry freeoffruitfly1.
6. Therepresentative ofUruguay recalled theconcern hehadexpressed atthelastmeeting of
theCommittee regarding Israeli import restrictions onbeef. TheCommittee wasinformed thatbilateral
consultations were taking place andthatprogress hadbeensatisfactory.
7. Therepresentative oftheEuropean Communities informed theCommittee about adecision
(30April 1997) tochange theinternal structure within theCommission intheareaofconsumer health
andsafety. Following anenquiry bytheEuropean Parliament regarding BSE, responsibility forall
consumer health andlegislation wastransferred totheGeneral Directorate forConsumer Affairs
1SeeG/SPS/GN/14.G/SPS/R/8
Page2
(DGXXIV) intheCommission, including scientific analysis. Moreover, ariskanalysis unitwould
beestablished inDGXXIV which would dedicate itselftoriskassessment, riskmanagement andrisk
communicationinahorizontalmannerinordertocontributetoamoreconsistentandsystematicapproach
intheCommunities 'health protection measures. Adocument onthematter wasmade available in
theroom.
Korean shelf-life requirements forUHT milk
8. Therepresentative ofAustralia recalled theon-going bilateral discussions between Australia
andKorea regarding shelf-life requirements forUltra HeatTreated (UHT) milk. Australia expressed
profound dissatisfaction withthecurrent situation. Itwasnoted thatKorea 'sapparent deferral ofaction
tobring certain ofitsmeasures intolinewiththerequirements oftheSPSAgreement hadgone
significantly beyond thetwo-year grace period intheimplementation ofcertain provisions bydeveloping
countries. TheCodex Alimentarius didnotspecify shelf-life foranyfoodproduct anditwastherefore
assumed thatmanufacturers would determine shelf-life based onindividual processing conditions.
Therepresentative ofAustralia noted thatmost importing government authorities accepted thatthe
shelf-life ofUHT milk could varybetween 6to12months, based onwell-established scientific
information. Korea hadnotprovided anyjustification foritsnon-acceptance ofmanufacturers '
determined shelf-life forUHT milk. Although Australia hadreceived some tentative advice fromKorea
in1996, there hadbeen noprogress ontheissue bymid-1997. Anumber ofdelegations shared
Australia 'sconcerns. Therepresentative ofCanada reminded theCommittee thathisgovernment had
previouslyraisedconcernsregardinggovernmentmandatedshelf-liferequirementswithrespecttobottled
water. Thematter hadbeenpursued bilaterally, butnoresolution hadbeenfound.
9. Therepresentative ofKorea noted thathiscountry 'ssystem forshelf-life determination, which
hadbeeninitiated in1995, setatimeframe fortheimplementation ofamanufacturer 'sdetermined
shelf-life regime (notification G/SPS/N/KOR/9). Korea 'smanufacturers 'determined shelf-life system
wasalready applied to260outof350products and,according toplans, manufacturers 'determined
shelf-life would beapplied toUHT milkbytheendof1998. Therepresentative ofAustralia requested,
inaccordance withArticle 5:8oftheSPSAgreement, aformal explanation from Korea astowhyit
wasnotpossible tomove immediately tomanufacturers 'determined shelf-life forUHT milk.
Switzerland andBSEconcerns
10. Therepresentative ofSwitzerland reminded theCommittee oftheirconcerns regarding measures
takenbycertaincountriesinrelationtobovinespongiformencephalopathy(BSE)andtheSPSAgreement
(G/SPS/W/79). Although there hadbeensome positive developments inthisrespect, thetrend was
notgeneral.Inparticular,SwitzerlandaddressedthefollowingquestionstoArgentina,Austria,Belgium,
Brazil, Canada, theCzech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, theNetherlands, Poland, Romania,
Singapore, Slovakia, Spain andtheUnited States:
(i) Have allofthemeasures beennotified?
(ii) Willthese measures soonbeabolished?
(iii) Ifnotabolished, totheextent thatthese measures deviate from therelevant OIE
recommendations, howdoestheMember justify thisdeviation inlightofArticle 3.3?
(iv) Ifthese measures arearesult oftheappropriate level ofprotection oftheMember,
howhavetheobligations andcriteria ofArticle 5beentaken intoaccount?
(v) AtitsMay1997meeting theOIEadopted anewstandard concerning thesurveillance
necessary withrespect toBSE; inthiscontext, howdoestheMember justify itsclaim
ofbeing BSE-free?
(vi) Forthose Members which haveprohibited thetransit ofliveanimals, howisthis
justified?
(vii) ForBrazil, doesitsmembership inMERCOSUR imply specific veterinary obligations?G/SPS/R/8
Page3
Therepresentative ofSwitzerland stressed theinterest hiscountry hadintherapid andsatisfactory
solution totheproblem andtheirwillingness tocontinue discussions onthesubject onabilateral level.
11. Therepresentative ofArgentina informed theCommittee thathisgovernment hadprovided
replies totheSwiss questions andthatadditional information would beforthcoming. Therepresentative
ofSwitzerland expressed satisfaction withtheprogress achieved sofar.
12. Therepresentative ofBrazil noted thattheprohibition onimports ofbovine semen byBrazilian
authorities hadbeenbased onadecision bytheAnimal Health Commission ofMERCOSUR, taken
inJuly1996. Inlightoftherecommendations made bythefirstInternational Seminar onBSE, the
Commission hadclassified bovine semen asaproduct ofmedium risk. Such classification implied
asuspension ofimports oftheproduct fromcountries ofhighincidence ofthedisease aswellasfrom
countries withlowincidence withnative cases, suchasSwitzerland. Moreover, therepresentative
ofBrazil stated thatthemeasures inquestion hadbeentaken onanemergency basis asprovided for
inAnnex BoftheSPSAgreement taking intoaccount that: (i)Brazil wasacountry freeofBSE;
(ii)Brazilian authorities were inpossession ofstudies thatsuggested thepossibility oftransmission
frommother toembryo; (iii)thefactthatthedisease wasnotwellknown; (iv)thedisease hadalong
incubation period; and,(v)thatitsepidemiological behaviour wasundefined. Sheaffirmed thatBrazil
regularly examined andimplemented thestandards adopted bytheOIE. However, Brazil hadthelargest
commercial bovine cattle herdintheworld, with115million headofcattle spread throughout alarge
territory. Nevertheless, withregard tothespecific prohibition onbovine semen imports, Brazil had
asked thattheissuebereverted tothePermanent Working Group onAnimal Quarantine oftheAnimal
Health Commission ofMERCOSUR, atitsnextmeeting of14-18 July1997. Theintention would
betoreclassify theproduct asa"low-risk" product. Thiswould permit thelifting ofrestraints on
bovine semen imports fromlow-incidence countries. Itwastherefore possible thattheissuebesolved
inasatisfactory manner atthenextmeeting oftheAnimal Health Commission, inAugust 1997. Brazil
agreed toprovide detailed written answers totheSwiss questions. Therepresentative ofSwitzerland
noted theimportance theyattached toregional aspects, andinparticular theresult oftheconsultation
andpossible decision which might emerge attheJuly1997meeting oftheWorking Group ontheAnimal
Health Commission oftheMERCOSUR.
13. Therepresentative ofCanada noted thatthere hadbeennochanges intheapplied import
conditions fortheimportation oflivecattle, bovine embryos, bovine semen, bovine meat ormeat
products from Switzerland duetothedraftdiscussion document onBSEpolicies, andtheproposed
draftpolicy measures would nothaveanimpact onthecurrent bovine semen andembryo tradebetween
Switzerland andCanada. Furthermore, Canada recognized andsupported themeasures approved by
the65thGeneral session oftheOIEinParis, May1997. Inthisrespect, thedesign oftheCanadian
BSEsurveillance system conformed totherequirements outlined inChapter 3.2.13, and,incertain
respects, evenwentfurther. Therepresentative ofCanada informed theCommittee thatseveral written
comments hadbeen received subsequent tothenotification oftheproposed import principles
(G/SPS/N/CAN/18). Ithadbecome evident thattherehadbeenconsiderable misinterpretation ofseveral
oftheimport principles. Bilateral meetings hadbeenheldwithsome respondents, andCanada had
undertaken toamend thetextoftheimport policies andtorevise several oftheprinciples applied.
Prior tofinalnotification, theamended textwould bedistributed tothose countries withwhom there
hadbeenanexchange ofcomments. Theformal policy notification totheWTO wasexpected toprecede
thepromulgation ofCanada 'smammalian ruminant feeding ban,anticipated for4August 1997. The
representative ofCanada asserted thatthefinalimport policy would recognize theprovisions and
standards oftheOIEInternational Animal Health Code andwould beinfullaccordance withCanada 's
obligations under theSPSAgreement. Shenoted thatamajor concern forCanada wasthelackof
quantitative orqualitative parameters forthedifferentiation between countries withhighincidence of
BSEandcountries withalowincidence ofBSE. Therepresentative ofCanada re-extended aninvitation
forbilateral discussions inorder toresolve outstanding concerns.G/SPS/R/8
Page4
14. Therepresentative oftheUnited States stressed thattheUnited States didnotprohibit the
importation ofmeat. Current Federal regulations were based onscientific evidence relating tothe
risksoftransmission ofBSE. These regulations weresubject tocontinued review andhad,inthecase
ofbovine semen, ledtotheopening oftrade inthose products. With respect toembryos, itwasthe
understanding oftheUnited States thatscientific evidence onpossible risks related totransmission
ofBSEwasstillunresolved.TheUnitedStateswascloselyfollowingtheon-goingresearchandscientific
discussion intheareaandremained opentoanexchange ofinformation withSwitzerland. Awritten
response totheSwiss questions would beprovided shortly. Therepresentative ofSwitzerland noted
thattheUnited States certification requirement regarding dried meat("viande desGrisons") forboth
theorigin ofthemeatandthecountry ofprocessing wasnotfullyconsistent withthestatement ofthe
representative oftheUnited States. Furthermore, theSwiss representative hoped thatthecurrent review
ofUSimport policies would befullyinlinewithOIErecommendations, inparticular thepartofthe
Animal Health Code which pertained toembryos.
15. Therepresentative ofRomania informed theCommittee thatpreliminary answers totheSwiss
questions hadalready beenprovided inbilateral discussions. Prohibitions onimports ofcertain products
which were potential carriers ofBSEandscrapie from certain countries, were contained inOrders
oftheMinistry ofAgriculture andFood, from MayandJune1997. These regulations were inline
withOIErecommendations. Therelevant authorities inRomania werecurrently preparing anotification
onthematter asprovided forinAnnex BoftheSPSAgreement. Therepresentative ofSwitzerland
expressed satisfaction withtheresults ofthebilateral talkswithRomania.
16. Therepresentative ofPoland noted thatnobilateral discussions hadbeenheldonthematter
regarding BSEwithSwitzerland. Imports toPoland were carried outonthegrounds ofindividual
import permissions granted onthebasis ofapplications byimporting companies totheVeterinary
Department. Nosuchapplications regarding imports fromSwitzerland hadbeenmade. Ifmade, such
applications would beconsidered inaccordance withtheappropriate procedures. According tothe
Swiss delegate there wasaneedforbilateral clarification asthenature oftheproblem faced bySwiss
exporters didnotentirely correspond totheinformation provided bythePolish delegation.
17. Therepresentative ofSingapore informed theCommittee thatcountries exporting beefto
Singapore wererequired tocertify BSE-free status forthepastsixyears. Themeasure wasinconformity
withtheprovisions oftheSPSAgreement andwould shortly benotified thereunder. Therepresentative
ofSingapore stressed thattheirlevelofprotection wasbased onanappropriate riskassessment and
thatthemeasure wasapplicable toallcountries exporting beefandbeefproducts toSingapore; itdid
nottarget anyspecific country. Countries which were freeofBSEoutbreaks forthepastsixyears
were abletoexport beeftoSingapore. Itwasnoted thatSingapore 'scurrent totalcattle population
waslessthan1000 headandallanimals were imported from Australia. Singapore could thusbe
considered acountry freeofBSE. TheSingapore delegation wasintheprocess offinalizing aresponse
totheSwiss delegation.
18. Therepresentative oftheCzech Republic noted thatthere hadbeennocases ofBSEinthe
Czech Republic andthattheirapprehension withregard toimports ofbeeffromSwitzerland werebased
oncontinued occurrences ofBSEinSwitzerland. Czech sanitary measures inquestion hadyettobe
notified totheWTO, although thesewereknow bytheSwiss authorities, according totherepresentative
oftheCzech Republic. Itwaspointed outthatimports ofbovine semen, brain andembryos from
Switzerland werenotrestricted. Therepresentative oftheCzech Republic stressed thathisauthorities
would prefer thatthecontinued discussion andexchange ofinformation takeplace onthelevel of
veterinary experts. Anofficial answer totheSwiss questions wasbeing prepared.G/SPS/R/8
Page5
19. Asatprevious meetings, therepresentative oftheEuropean Communities noted thatmeasures
taken onanational basisbyECmember States werescreened forconformity withEClawbefore notified
totheWTO. InthecaseofBSE, thisprocess hadtaken more timethanexpected and,although at
thetimeofthemeeting there wasnocommon position within theEuropean Communities, changes
tothepolicy werebeing considered. TheCommittee wasfurthermore informed thatrecent inspection
inrelation toBSEinSwitzerland hadgenerally hadgoodoutcome. Nevertheless, oneofthefindings
oftheinspection wasthatthere hadbeenacertain number ofcases ofBSEinanimals bornafterthe
feedbanin1990, which would suggest thatthefeedbanhadnotbeentotally effective. Regarding
theOIEstandards, therepresentative oftheEuropean Communities pointed outthataconsiderable
number ofMembers, including theEuropean Communities, hadgonebeyond theserecommendations.
Thiswasasignofthedegree ofconcern withregard toBSEandtheneedgovernments felttotake
acautious attitude. Therepresentative oftheEuropean Communities stressed thatitwould beuseful
todiscuss theoutcome ofthatinspection more directly withtheSwiss delegation withtheparticipation
oftherelevant experts whowere knowledgeable onthesubject. Therepresentative ofSwitzerland
hoped thattheEuropean Communities would soonbeinaposition tonotify under theSPSAgreement
andwelcomed theprospect ofcontinuing talksonabilateral levelwiththerelevant experts.
French certification requirements forpetfood
20. Therepresentative oftheUnited States expressed concern regarding requirements adopted in
France inSeptember 1996, prohibiting theuseofcertain animal products ("high risk" material) in
themanufacture ofpetfood(G/SPS/GEN/18). Asaresult ofthenewrequirements, USpet-food exports
toFrance hadbeenstopped. Themeasure hadnotbeennotified bytheEuropean Communities tothe
WTO. Theapparent objective ofthemeasure wastoaddress current concerns related totransmissible
spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), yetthemeasure didnotaccount forthefactthattheUnited States
wasfreefromBSE. Furthermore, themeasure applied topetfoodmaterials fromspecies suchaspoultry
andfishforwhich therewerenoTSEs. Moreover, France apparently refused toimplement decisions
adopted bytheEuropean Communities inDecember 1996 which permitted theuseinpet-food of
non-mammalian materials processed through specified heattreatment procedures. TheUnited States
hadnot,atthetimeofthemeeting, beenprovided withascientific basis forthemeasure inquestion.
Anumber ofdelegations shared theUSconcern. Therepresentative ofChile expressed concern with
regard totheeffects theregulation might haveontrade infishmeal.
21. Therepresentative oftheEuropean Communities noted thatdocument G/SPS/GEN/18 was
notentirely accurate ontwopoints. First, there existed aprovision inFrench regulations bywhich
socalled "low-risk" material, whether mammalian ornot,could beincluded intopetfoodandfreely
beexported toFrance. Low-risk material containing mammalian protein could beexported totheother
ECmember States without restrictions. Second, France hadnotrefused toimplement theECdecisions
which would permit petfoodmade from poultry meal toenter. Acting onrecommendations bya
scientific committee, theFrench government hadputintoplace provisions whereby thecountry did
notaccept frozen animals ordeadanimal cadavers tobeincluded intherendering ofmeatandbonemeal
destined forbeing animal consumption, whether farm animals orpets. Therepresentative ofthe
European Communities noted thatthiswasnotnecessarily ahealth issue, butoneofimage andquality
andwastherefore aprovision which wasnotstrictly relevant under theSPSAgreement. Furthermore,
thediscussion intheEuropean Communities intheareawasdynamic andanumber ofissues regarding
theuseofmeatandbonemeal forfeeding purposes werebeing discussed atthetimeofthemeeting.
IntheviewoftheECrepresentative, threemainoptions layahead: (i)thecontinuation ofthepresent
ECpolicy onanimal feeding stuffs andmeatandbonemeal rendering; (ii)theinclusion ofaprovision
bywhich theEuropean Communities would exclude deadanimal cadavers fromgoing intotherendering
ofmeatandbonemeal forfeeding purposes (asdidtheFrench government); or(iii)tofollow theBritish
linewhich would imply thebanontheuseofmeatandbonemeal altogether forthefeeding tofarm
animals. Therepresentative oftheUnited States questioned therelevance oftheCommission 'sreferenceG/SPS/R/8
Page6
toanimal carcasses inthecontext ofdiscussions related toFrance 'srestrictions onpetfood. Also,
theUnited States wasparticularly concerned regarding thetreatment ofnon-mammalian materials.
Cosmetics andBSE
22. TherepresentativeoftheUnitedStatesrecalledtheconcernraisedatthepreviousSPSCommittee
meeting regarding theEuropean Commission Directive 97/1/EC of10January 1997, notified under
theSPSAgreement asG/SPS/N/EEC/43. Apparently motivated byBSErelated health riskconcerns,
thedirective would banthemarketing ofcosmetics andsoapcontaining certain animal materials. It
wasscheduled forimplementation on1July1997. Therepresentative oftheUnited States stressed
thatthemeasure would sharply reduce, oreliminate, USexports oftallow derivatives, soapand
cosmetics. TheUnited States raised anumber ofconcerns, which aredescribed inG/SPS/GEN/20.
TheUSrepresentative requested theEuropean Commission toinform theSPSCommittee withregard
totheresults ofthemeeting oftheECScientific Committee onCosmetology, heldinlateJune1997.
Anumber ofdelegations supported theUSposition andurged forclarification from theEuropean
Communities.
23. Therepresentative oftheEuropean Communities stated thatinlightofWHO recommendations,
measures hadtobetaken inorder toensure thatthere wasnoriskoftransmission ofTSEs tohumans
through anyfoodorfeedchain, whether forpharmaceutical orcosmetic use. TheECScientific
Committee onCosmetology hadmade astatement totheeffect that,intheirview, tallow could be
considered safe. Nevertheless, thishadtobeseeninlightoftheassumption thatthetallow hadgone
through aclearfiltration process which would ensure thatthere wasnoprotein content remaining in
thetallow which could harbour theBSEagent. Ithadalsotobeconsidered thattallow wasanormal
product oftherendering industry andthatintheUnited States thereexisted methods ofrendering which
applied temperatures considerably below required levels. TheScientific Steering Committee didnot
endorse theopinion oftheCommittee onCosmetology and,consequently, theEuropean Commission
didtherefore nothavethebasis forundertaking changes inthedecision ontallow.
24. Regarding USfreedom fromBSE, therepresentative oftheEuropean Commission noted that
theECScientific Veterinary Committee wasnotprepared torecognize anycountry intheworld as
freeofBSE, taking intoaccount thedifficulties ofcertifying suchastatus. Therepresentatives of
Chile andtheUnited States expressed concern withregard totheECposition inthisregard.
Poultry andAvian Influenza
25. Therepresentative oftheUnited States informed theCommittee thatsubsequent toroutine
surveillance, non-pathogenic Avian Influenza (AI)hadbeendetected inbackyard flocks inafewNorth-
Eastern USStates. Thegovernment ofVenezuela had,asaconsequence ofthis,imposed abanon
theimportation ofUSpoultry andpoultry products. TheUnited States contested thescientific basis
forthismeasure andexpressed concern thatithadnotbeennotified totheWTO. TheUSconcerns
aredescribed inG/SPS/GEN/19.
TheCodex Alimentarius Commission andtheSPSCommittee
26. Therepresentative ofAustralia informed theCommittee thatatthe22ndSession oftheCodex
Alimentarius Commission (CAC), heldinGeneva theweek priortotheSPSCommittee meeting, two
issues ofsignificant concern regarding theinterpretation oftheSPSAgreement hadbeen raised.
Uncertainties andlackofunderstanding onthese points washampering thework oftheCodex. The
firstissue concerned thestatus ofCodex regional standards. While regional standards were clearly
intended foruseonaregional basis within theCodex system, thequestion which arose intheCAC
waswhether theregional applicability ofthese standards wasrecognized intheSPSAgreement. InG/SPS/R/8
Page7
thisregard, therepresentative oftheCodex informed theCommittee thatthere wereonlythree codes
ofpractice andtwospecific standards thatcould bedescribed asregional bynature. Regardless of
this,therepresentative ofAustralia noted, theissue remained oneofprinciple. Members needed to
consider whether itwasmandatory forMembers outside ofaregion forwhich there wasaregional
standard toconform withthatstandard, and,also,whether countries inside aregion where there was
aregional standard andwhoelected toconform withthatregional standard putthemselves beyond
challenge.
27. Thesecond issueregarded thestatus ofCodex guidelines, codes orother instruments ofamore
advisory nature which werenotreferred toasstandards. Therepresentative oftheCodex explained
thatthecommon practice ofreferring tostandards as"mandatory" andother textsas"advisory" was
notsatisfactory, andatitslastsession theCAC hadadopted astatement totheeffect thattheuseof
theterms "advisory" and"mandatory" would bediscouraged within theCodex framework. TheCodex
Committees weretoreview thecodes, guidelines andrelated textsunder theirresponsibility inorder
todetermine towhatextent theyshould beredrafted asstandards2.Inthisregard, therepresentative
oftheCodex indicated thattheCAC would request clarification from theSPSCommittee. The
representative oftheUnited States suggested thatthiscommunication fromtheCodex beshared with
theOIEandtheIPPC inorder toobtain theircomments withrespect totheirparticular activities.
Other delegations agreed thatthere wasaneedforclarification regarding thestatus ofCodex texts
andtheapplicability ofregional standards, particularly inorder nottoimpede standards development
intheCodex. Therepresentative ofCanada, supported byChile, stressed thatitwasalsoimportant
toclarify thestatus ofregional planthealth standards developed under regional organizations andtheir
relation totheIPPC.
28. With regard totheprocedure forthe"clarification", therepresentative ofSwitzerland noted
thatthesolecompetent body fortheinterpretation ofWTO Agreements wastheGeneral Council or,
bywayofadispute, theDispute Settlement Body. Hesuggested thattheLegal Affairs Division submit
anopinion onthematter tobesubmitted totheSPSand/or TBTCommittees andsubsequently, if
necessary, totheGeneral Council forinterpretation. Therepresentative ofAustralia expressed the
viewthatalegalopinion, although desirable, wasunlikely tobehelpful. Hereminded theCommittee
ofitsobligation toreview theAgreement andtheneed tobewellprepared inadvance ofthe
October 1987meeting oftheCommittee inthisregard. Aproposal bytherepresentative ofArgentina
thatinformal consultations beheldonthematter wassupported byseveral delegations. The
representative ofChile proposed thattheSecretariat oftheWTO endeavour tomake presentations at
theannual ormajor meetings oftheCodex, OIEandIPPC ontheSPSAgreement andthework of
theSPSCommittee, which might helpclear updoubts anduncertainties.
29. Itwasagreed thatupon receipt ofthewritten request forclarification from theCAC, the
Chairman should request comments from theOIEandtheIPPC. TheChairman wasalsoinvited to
schedule informal consultations onthematter andseekalegalopinion from theWTO Secretariat.
Consideration ofSpecific Notifications Received
Citrus canker andtheEuropean Communities
30. Therepresentative ofArgentina expressed hisgovernment 'sconcern withthemeasure oncitrus
canker proposed inECnotification G/SPS/N/EEC/47, of9June1997. Therepresentative ofArgentina
requested,interalia,thatbilateraltechnicalconsultationsbeheldwithECexpertsandthattheapplication
oftheproposed measure besuspended during these consultations. Thefulltextoftheinformation
provided byArgentina iscontained indocument G/SPS/GEN/21. Therepresentatives ofSouth Africa,
2SeethefullReport oftheTwenty-Second Session oftheCodex Alimentarius Commission, Geneva, 23-28 June1997.G/SPS/R/8
Page8
Chile, Brazil andUruguay associated themselves withArgentina 'sposition. ThefulltextoftheSouth
African statement, concerning ECnotifications G/SPS/N/EEC/46 andG/SPS/N/EEC/47, iscontained
inG/SPS/GEN/26.
31. Therepresentative oftheEuropean Communities noted thattheywere preparing aresponse
totheArgentinean concern andwere open toconsultations withinterested parties. TheEuropean
Communities were moving from asystem withinternal restrictions intheproduction areas ofItaly,
Greece andCorsica toatrulysingle market withthefreemovement ofgoods. With norestrictions
onthemovement ofthefruitwithin theEuropean Communities, andconsidering theriskofintroduction
andtheeconomic andconsequences following uponthat,alternative protection forthemainproducing
citrus areashadtobeconsidered. These included requirements ofmonitoring thedisease intheexporting
country atthe"production field" level, treatment andcertification. Therepresentative oftheEuropean
Communities affirmed thatthestepstaken toprotect theECcitrus producing areas werescientifically
based andhadminimized thetrade effects.
Swiss notification onwheat, ryeandtriticale
32. Therepresentative ofArgentina, referring totheSwiss notification G/SPS/N/CHE/5 onwheat,
ryeandtriticale, expressed concern withregard torising trade barriers onwheat grain forindustrial
andplanting purposes. Argentina wasfreefrom tilletia indica (Karnal bunt). Sherequested afull
draftoftheproposed measure, including access totheriskanalysis andotherscientific documents which
substantiated theproposal. Therepresentative ofSwitzerland assured Argentina thatthescientific basis
forthenotified measure would beprovided assoonaspossible.
AnyOther Matter related totheOperation oftheTransparency Provisions
33. TheChairmandrewtheCommittee'sattentiontothemostrecentlistofEnquiryPoints,circulated
asG/SPS/ENQ/5 withthree addenda, aswellasthelatest listofNotification Authorities, G/SPS/9,
alsowiththree addenda. Recent information onwhich Members hadindentified Enquiry Points and
Notification Authorities wascirculated asaroom document.
34. Therepresentative oftheUnited States suggested thattheroom document, provided bythe
Secretariat, becirculated asanunrestricted document. Heexpressed concern thatasignificant number
ofMembers werenotinfullcompliance withtheirtransparency obligations under theSPSAgreement.
Inaddition, only asmall number ofMembers accounted foroverhalfoftheSPSnotifications made.
Therepresentative oftheUnited States emphasized thatwhere used, thenotification procedures had
proven veryuseful inpromoting theexchange ofimportant information andavoiding unnecessary trade
problems. Members whohadnotdonesowere urged toidentify theirNotification Authorities and
Enquiry Points andprovide theinformation totheSecretariat assoonaspossible. TheSecretariat
wasfurthermore requested tofacilitate thisprocess bycontacting Members directly.
35. Responding toaquestion bytherepresentative ofChile regarding theobligation onthepart
ofgovernments torespond toquestions fromtheprivate sector, theSecretariat noted thattheEnquiry
Points were, under theSPSAgreement, obliged toprovide answers toallreasonable questions from
interested Members ,inother words, governments. Some Members noted thattheystillexperienced
difficulties interms oftimedelays andunanswered requests fordocumentation. Inthisregard the
Secretariat drew theCommittee 'sattention todocument G/SPS/7 which details therecommended
notification procedures established bytheCommittee.G/SPS/R/8
Page9
Monitoring ofUseofInternational Standards
36. Onthebasis oftheproposals submitted bytheEuropean Communities (G/SPS/W/51), the
United States (G/SPS/W/76 andG/SPS/W/81), aswellasaSecretariat paper (G/SPS/W/58), the
Chairman proposed aprocedure tomonitor theuseofinternational standards, contained inG/SPS/W/82.
TheChairman highlighted theimportance ofparagraph 6,which referred totheneedtofocus the
Committee 'sdiscussions onconcrete examples orsignificant trade problems. Inresponse toinitial
reservations regarding paragraph 9,expressed notably byCanada andtheEuropean Communities, he
explained thatmultilateral consultations todevelop proposals toresolve issues thathaveamajor impact
oninternational tradewould takeplaceinrelation toexisting standards exclusively, withnointerference
inthework ofthestandard-setting bodies. Thisprocedure wasdesigned withaview toenhancing
thecoordination between theSPSCommittee andCodex, OIEandIPPC while encouraging adherence
tointernational standards. Theprovisional character ofthisproposal, tobesubject toperiodical review
andadaptation, wasunderlined.
37. Anumber ofdelegations expressed theirsupport fortheproposal andappreciated itssimplicity
andpractical orientation. Theprovisional status oftheproposed system wasalsofound tobemost
appropriate asitwould enable theCommittee totakeintoaccount changing circumstances andevolving
needs.Somedelegationsdidnotexcludethepossibilityofexaminingaparticularsetorclassofstandards
along thelinessuggested intheoriginal ECproposal. Thisapproach could beconciliated withthe
Chairman 'sproposal atalaterstage. Together withSwitzerland, Australia suggested thattopical issues,
likeFMD orBSE, might lendthemselves tothetypeofsystemic andhorizontal analysis favoured by
theECproposal because thefocus onindividual countries would beavoided.
38. While agreeing thatanunbureaucratic andcost-efficient procedure wasneeded, theEC
representative feltthatasystematic compilation ofnorms, followed byathorough evaluation oftheir
useornon-use andtheamount oftradeortradedifficulties encountered, werestillrequired. Hismajor
concern, alsoshared bytheJapanese delegation, wasthattooclose afocus on"specific trade issues"
would failtopreserve theneutrality ofthemonitoring function. TheECrepresentative recalled that
theprimary objectives ofthemonitoring exercise were toencourage Members touseinternational
standards andtoidentify, forthebenefit oftherelevant international organizations, where astandard
wasneeded orwasnotappropriate. Inaddition, theEuropean Communities feared thatparagraphs 8,
9and10conferred aroletotheSPSCommittee which wasnotoriginally intended. TheCommittee
could notadvise thestandard-setting bodies onactivities which fellwithin theirexclusive competence.
39. TheECdelegation indicated itsintention toprovide allcomments andsuggested amendments
inwriting forcirculation before thenextmeeting oftheCommittee, including alistofspecific areas
which could beusedasthestarting point fordesigning apilotproject along thelinesofitsoriginal
proposal.
40. Therepresentative ofKorea found thatitwasunclear fromtheChairman 'spaper whether the
objective oftheexercise wastomonitor theprocess oftheinternational harmonization ortoestablish
alistofinternational standards relating toSPSmeasures which hadamajor tradeimpact. Korea offered
toprovide more specific comments atthenextCommittee meeting.
41. TheAustralian representative shared theEC'sviewthatthepurpose ofthemonitoring exercise
wasnottoadmonishMembersforfailingtoconformtheirmeasurestointernationalstandards.However,
Members were expected totaketheopportunity under theagenda itemon"specific trade issues" to
drawtheattentionoftheCommitteetosuchspecificproblemstheymightface,includingincircumstances
where theybelieved thatinternational standards were notappropriately applied. Thefocus under
monitoring would beonthestandards rather thanonthebehaviour ofcountries. Themonitoring exerciseG/SPS/R/8
Page10
would attempt toidentify situations inwhich more work wasneeded ontheelaboration ofinternational
standards.
42. Therepresentative ofChile suggested thatgiven therecent changes inthestatus ofvarious
international standards, Codex, OIEandIPPC should berequested toprovide updated versions oftheir
listings ofstandards, guidelines andrecommendations. TheChairman 'sproposal should bereorganized
inamore uniform wayindicating thestandard, thedeviation fromthatstandard andwhen thestandard
didnotexist.
43. Therepresentative oftheCodex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) reminded theCommittee
thatin1991, theCAC hadattempted, through itsRegional Coordinating Committees, tosetupaproject
toidentify standards ortheneedforstandards, where theywould haveamajor trade impact. Atits
session inJune1997, theCAC decided thatthisexercise hadnotsucceeded andthatitduplicated the
work oftheSPSCommittee. Theexercise wastherefore discontinued. Ontheother hand, the
Commission decided torevise andsimplify theprocedure foracceptance ofCodex standards byits
member countries. TheCAC alsorequested theCodex Committee onGeneral Principles tolookat
ways inwhich special ordifferential treatment might beaccorded todeveloping countries inthe
application ofCodex standards, aconcern shared bytheIndonesian andThaidelegations.
44. TheChairman encouraged thedelegations tosubmit additional written comments by
16September 1997, soastoenable theSecretariat enough timetoprepare anewversion oftheproposal
forcirculation inadvance oftheOctober meeting.
Consistency
45. TheChairman indicated thattheinformal consultations onthedevelopment ofguidelines on
consistency intheapplication oftheappropriate levelofprotection wereinitiated in1996, andmeetings
wereheldagain inMarch andJune1997. Good progress hadbeenachieved onthetechnical aspects
ofthedraftguidelines. Attherequest ofseveral Members, thework centred onadding clarity tothe
textandexplaining theinterrelationships between thevarious concepts under theheading ofriskanalysis.
With thecomments andthepractical examples already received, anewdraftwould beprepared.
46. TheECrepresentative recalled thatArticle 5:5stated anobjective asfarasthelevelofprotection
wasconcerned. Itdidnotinstitute adiscipline oversanitary andphytosanitary measures. TheEuropean
Communities feltthatsome attempts were made tochange theinterpretation ofArticle 5.5intoan
obligation toundertake ariskassessment, andtolinkriskassessment totheestablishment ofalevel
ofprotection (seealsoG/SPS/W/83).
47. Incontrast, therepresentative ofArgentina found thatArticle 5ingeneral, andArticle 5:1
inparticular,containedstrongcommitmentsforMembers.AlthoughArticle5.5referredtotheobjective
ofachieving consistency, paragraphs 1,2,3-andtosome extent, paragraph 4-stated commitments,
andtherefore obligations. AMember could bechallenged overtheobligation toundertake arisk
assessment under these articles. Thecontractual obligation ofMembers wastoachieve consistency
taking intoaccount therationale ofArticle 5initsentirety. Tosupport thisidea, therepresentative
oftheUnited States readthefollowing communication from theEuropean Commission entitled
"Consumer Health andFood Safety", dated 3April 1997, which itfound toberelevant tothediscussion
onthisissue:
"Concerning riskmanagement, theCommission willtakeintoaccount available risk
assessments aswellastherecommendations transmitted bytheDirectorate-General
responsible forscientific advice totheDirectorate-General responsible forpreparation
oflegislation. Riskmanagement shallinclude theprocess ofassessing theimpact ofG/SPS/R/8
Page11
policy alternatives inthelightoftheresult ofriskassessment andthedesired level
ofprotection"
48. Therepresentative ofChile reported thathiscountry found itdifficult tomaintain consistency
between thevarious approaches adopted for,ontheoneside,animal andplanthealth, andontheother
side,foodsafety. Heindicated thattheonlywaytosubstantiate anyclaims regarding achosen level
ofprotection intheareasofanimal orplanthealth wasthrough ariskanalysis. Indefining itsappropriate
levelofprotection, thehealth status oftheimporting country wasofprimary importance. Normally,
thehigher thehealth status, themore trade restrictive wasthechosen levelofprotection. Depending
onitsstage ofdevelopment, acountry could generally design itsnational health regulatory framework
according totwobroad directions: adeveloped country, taking advantage ofitstechnological capacity,
could showagreater levelofacceptance, whereas alessdeveloped country would haveamorerestrictive
level ofprotection. Finally, Chile noted thattheability ofanimporting country todetermine its
appropriate level ofprotection alsodepended heavily onthequality ofinformation supplied bythe
exporting country. Without suchfeedback, aswellasmutual trustbetween therespective national
services, theimporting country would tendtoadopt amore restrictive levelofprotection.
49. Several delegations expressed theviewthattheinformal consultations werethemostappropriate
forum tobuildadeeper understanding onconsistency andgenerate consensus. TheChairman extended
aninvitation toallinterested Members toparticipate intheinformal consultations.
Technical assistance andcooperation
50. TheChairmanremindedtheCommitteethatdiscussionsunderthisagendaitemservedtoidentify
theneeds fortechnical assistance aswellaspossible sources ofassistance. Aswasrequested byEgypt,
IndiaandPakistan during thelastmeeting, theSecretariat hadprepared adocument entitled "Experiences
fromTechnical Assistance andCooperation inDeveloping Countries" (G/SPS/GEN/17) which identifies
theconcernsandproblemscommunicatedtotheSecretariatinthecourseoftechnicalassistancemissions.
51. TheColombian andIndonesian delegations welcomed theorganization ofregional seminars
inBogota thisyearandinSouth EastAsiain1998. Colombia requested thatinaddition topresenting
thevarious provisions oftheAgreement, theSecretariat alsoexplained todeveloping countries how
totakeadvantage oftheAgreement, including byhelping themunderstand theSPSmeasures notified
andaction initiated byother Members. Suchguidance could helpdeveloping countries enhance their
levelofparticipation intheCommittee. Pakistan, which supported theColombian approach, formulated
anumber ofcomments andsuggestions inG/SPS/GEN/23.
52. TheArgentinian delegate feared thatthesuggestion inparagraph 9oftheSecretariat 'spaper
forthecentralization oflaboratory testing incommon regional entry ports could encourage trade
restrictive practices. TheChairman explained thatreference laboratories were those recognized by
OIE. Theproposal implied thatsuchlaboratories could assume theresponsibility ofproviding training
andassistance tocountries inaddressing particular diseases.
53. Therepresentative ofthePhilippines requested assistance instrengthening technical expertise
inpestriskanalysis; manpower training inbiological riskassessment andopportunities forthecollection
andevaluation ofdata; methods ofanalysis ofcontaminants inresidues attheincreasingly lower levels
being proposed atCODEX; quality control oflaboratory operations; andfoodsafety andcontrol.
ThePhilippines indicated thatopportunities weresought toobserve national systems forfoodtesting
andinspection, surveillance andquality control laboratory operations. Tosupport theoperations of
small andmedium scale enterprises, thePhilippines requested theorganization ofseminars focusing
principally ontheSPSmeasures andrequirements ofimporting countries and,inparticular, HACCP
requirements. Therepresentative ofIndonesia requested thatanational seminar beorganized inhisG/SPS/R/8
Page12
country, andthattechnical assistance beprovided forthedevelopment ofariskanalysis system and
strengthening ofhuman resources. Therepresentative ofThailand requested technical assistance in
pestriskanalysis. Therepresentative ofChile requested technical assistance indeveloping human
resources inriskanalysis and,inparticular, inquantitative riskanalysis. Inaddition, Chile requested
thatalistofthevarious aspects ofriskanalysis inthehuman, animal andplanthealth areas, beprovided,
together withalistofcountries thathavealready conducted quantitative riskassessments.
54. TheOIEobserver explained thattechnical assistance inriskanalysis wasdifficult toenvisage
aslongasinternational harmonization hadnotbeencompleted. Henoted thataspecial issue ofthe
OIE'sscientific andtechnical magazine registered theadvances made inriskanalysis. During thesecond
halfof1997, twofurther issues would cover thesubjects ofcontamination ofanimal products, the
risksinvolved, andtheprevention ofsuchrisks. Moreover, theOIEprovided, through itspublication
programme, listsofpractices thatwereimplemented byanumber ofcountries. TheChairman invited
theCommittee members andtherelevant international organizations toprovide alistofexperts inthe
fieldofriskanalysis tosupplement theneedforthiskindofexpertise during training events ataregional
level. TheOIErepresentative reported thattheresources available totheOIEfortechnical assistance
andcooperation withthenational veterinary services werealsoverylimited. Overthepastfewyears,
these hadbeenreserved toanumber ofdeveloping countries upon thereceipt ofdetailed proposals.
Oftheproposals received andaccepted bytheOIE, mostconcerned thesetting upofepidemiological
monitoring systems ortheeradication ofanimal diseases. TheonlySPS-related request wasmade
byCARICOM, requesting OIE'sassistance inanalyzing adraftregulation, ataskwhich wasoutof
OIE'sareaofcompetence.
55. Therepresentative oftheIPPC concurred withtheSecretariat 'spaper thatfield-related technical
assistance, although itwasimportant, competed withother concerns listed onaidagendas. Given the
limited resources usually available foraid,unless donors anddeveloping countries gavemore weight
toSPSmatters, littlecould beachieved. International organizations didnothavesubstantial resources
attheirdisposal. Technical assistance wasprimarily financed fromtrustfunds provided bydonors and
theFAO budget allocated fortheTechnical Cooperation Programme wasdedicated toaveryfocused
typeofassistance. Thiswasconfirmed bytherepresentative oftheCodex Alimentarius Commission.
56. TheIPPC hadrecently invited 15experts, mainly heads ofplantprotection services ofAfrican
countries, toanExpert Consultation ontheInternational Plant Protection Convention. TheIPPC
representative noted thattheseexperts hadproven tobeunfamiliar withtheSPSAgreement. TheExpert
Consultation hadidentified anumber ofpriority areas foraction. Itrecommended thatFAO seek
resources toorganize aseries ofregional andsub-regional meetings todraw theattention ofpolicy
makers andtechnical personnel totherelationship ofIPPC andtheSPSAgreement. Moreover, steps
should betaken tobuild national plant protection infrastructures; design adequate scientific services
andsurveillance systems; andovercome thelackofproperly trained staffatalllevels. Thereport
oftheIPPC Expert Consultation wasmade available totheSecretariat.
57. Therepresentative from theCodex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) reported thatthe
Commission wasintheprocess ofpreparing ananalytical document ontechnical assistance inCodex
matters, including foodcontrol forexport andimport inspection systems. Thispaper might beready
fortheOctobermeetingoftheSPSCommittee.TheCACengagedprincipallyinthreetypesofactivities:
(a) Technical assistance activities ranging fromcooperation withtheWTO Secretariat in
conducting seminars totheorganization ofnational seminars incooperation withindividual
national Codex contacts points. Inthelast18months, about 20suchnational seminars had
beenorganized attherequest ofthecountries, involving Ministries ofHealth, Agriculture,
Trade, producers, industry andconsumers.G/SPS/R/8
Page13
(b) ThroughFAO'sTechnicalCooperationProgramme(TCP),CACprovidedinfrastructural
supportforCodexcontactpointsorCodexnationalcommitteesuponrequestbyCodexMembers.
Such requests must meet theTCPcriteria ofFAO. Chile andBrazil were among themost
recent beneficiaries ofthistypeofassistance.
(c) FAO wasalsotheexecuting agency fortheUnited Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) andother donor typeprojects covering foodcontrol programmes, import andexport
inspection systems, provision ofbasic legislation, guidelines ontheapplication ofstandards.
Alotoftraining wasinvolved, considerable amount ofdevelopment atlaboratory level,
managerial level, inspection services level. Toqualify, recipient countries must meet the
requirement ofaidpriorities established within thecountries themselves.
58. Therepresentative oftheInternational Trade Centre (ITC) informed theCommittee thatthe
Centre wasmid-way through theimplementation ofathree-year project concerning afollow-up of
theUruguay Round. Thisproject, financed bydonor countries andimplemented incoordination with
theWTO, emphasized theimplications oftheUruguay Round Agreement, notably oftheSPSandTBT
Agreements, withaspecial focus onpackaging andlabelling requirements. Seminars hadbeenheld
inmore than20countries.
59. Therepresentative oftheUnited States reaffirmed hiscountry 'scommitment tocooperate with
theWTO, international organizations andMembers inproviding technical assistance andfacilitating
implementation oftheAgreement. In1996, theUnited States hadparticipated in,andsponsored,
12regional seminars ondifferent SPSmatters, including specific andtechnical work onpestrisk
assessment. Inaddition, bytheendof1997, theUnited States would haveassisted inthetraining of
officials andtechnicians from 49Members andcountries intheprocess ofaccession. Stressing that
technicalassistancewasnotaonewaystreet,henotedthatdevelopedcountriesaswellneededcontinuous
updating oftheir knowledge andexperiences inthese areas. Moreover, some provisions ofthe
Agreement, liketransparency, didnotrequire anyparticular technical expertise inorder tobefully
implemented, butonlysomelegalorinstitutional changes. Internal communications within governments
could probably beimproved through technical assistance butpositive efforts internally were also
necessary.
Matters ofinterest arising from thework ofobserver organizations
Therevision oftheIPPC
60. TheIPPC representative recalled thatrevision oftheConvention hadbeenrecommended by
theFAO Committee onAgriculture inMay 1995, andapproved bytheFAO Conference in
November 1995. Anagreed texthadresulted from intensive drafting sessions andwould firstbe
considered bytheFAOCommittee forConstitutional andLegal Matters inOctober 1997, whose main
taskwould betoadvise member governments ontheirproposed newobligations under theConvention.
After thelegalreview wascompleted, thenewtextwould beforwarded totheFAO Conference for
adoption inNovember 1997. Therevised textoftheConvention would onlycome intoforce when
twothirds oftheparties hadaccepted theamendments. Ifdelays occurred, theFAOSecretariat might
propose anumber ofinterim measures, including theestablishment ofanInterim Commission of
PhytosanitaryMeasures;anauthorizationtotheIPPCSecretariattostartworkonstandardsforregulated
non-quarantine pests; andtheuseoftherevised phytosanitary certificate onavoluntary basisbyparties.
61. TheIPPC representative noted thatseveral references toSPS-related terminology andconcepts
wereincluded inthenewtextoftheConvention. TheroleoftheIPPC Secretariat wasclarified. A
Commission forphytosanitary measures wasestablished anditsbroader responsibilities described. The
procedure forthedevelopment andadoption ofstandards bytheCommission wasimproved toreplaceG/SPS/R/8
Page14
therather cumbersome procedure introduced bytheFAOConference asaninterim measure inresponse
totheUruguay Round. Theparties totheConvention would bethemembers oftheCommission,
incontrast tothecurrent practice which conferred decision-making authority ontheFAOConference.
Regional economic integration organizations thatwere members ofFAO could alsobecome parties
totheConvention, provided theyheldpartial orfullautonomy inconducting theirphytosanitary matters.
62. Thephytosanitary certificates were re-designed andacertifying statement wasdeveloped.
Regulated non-quarantine pestswereincluded within thescope ofIPPC'sworkprogramme. TheIPPC's
relationship withregional plant protection organizations wasredefined. Importantly, anarticle on
technical assistance wasincluded intherevised text.Obligations ontheexchange ofinformation were
streamlined andparties totheConvention would berequired toestablish official contact points. The
funding oftheactivities tobeimplemented under theConvention would takeplacewithin theframework
ofFAO'sbudget.
63. With regard toaccreditation ofinspection andcertification, orparts thereof, aswellasthe
issuingofphytosanitarycertificates,theIPPCobserverindicatedthatthenationalplantprotectionservices
weredirectly responsible fortheimplementation oftheConvention. Regarding thedegree ofpriority
assigned tothevalidation ofregional standards intheCommission 'swork programme, thestandards
ofaregional plant protection organization wereestablished onlyfortheguidance ofthemembers of
thatorganization. Tobecome international standards, regional standards would havetomove through
thenormal channels established bytheConvention, involving suchstepsastheexamination byanexpert
group followed byanapproval procedure bytheCommission.
64. Therepresentative ofJapan wasconcerned thattherevised textoftheConvention could allow
parties toapply trade measures which were inconsistent withtheWTO Agreement. Japan feltthat
thisissue hadbeeninsufficiently examined during thecourse ofthenegotiations ontherevision of
theIPPC. TheIPPC representative considered that,since alltheparties totheConvention would
alsobemembers oftheCommission, thebody which wasultimately responsible fortheapproval of
international standards, theissuewasmore oneofconsistency andcoordination between thepositions
adopted bycountries indiffering fora.
Draft agreement between WTO andOIE
65. TheCommittee hadbefore itthedraftagreement between theWTO andtheOIEcontained
indocument G/SPS/W/61. Further totheadoption ofthistextbytheInternational Committee ofthe
OIEduring itslastgeneral session, theSPSCommittee adopted theDraft Agreement. ThisAgreement
willbeforwarded forapproval totheCouncil forTrade inGoods, andthentotheGeneral Council.
Other matters
66. Therepresentative oftheCodex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) reported onthemain
achievements ofthe22nd session oftheCAC, heldinGeneva, 13-18 June1997. Acomprehensive
listoffoodadditives hadbeenadopted byCAC onthebasis ofriskassessment principles covering
awiderange ofchemical substances. These additives could beusedwithout specific restrictions in
nearly allfoods, uptothelimitofgood manufacturing practice, except inalimited listoffoods in
which theirusewasprohibited.
67. TheGeneral Principles forFood Hygiene hadbeenrevised. Incontrast withitspredecessor,
theresulting codewasnowarisk-based document, outlining foodsafety objectives. TheCode was
accompanied byguidelines onthehazard analysis critical control point system (HACCP), another risk
based food safety technique. TheCode wasalsoaccompanied byprinciples forestablishing
microbiological criteria forfoods.G/SPS/R/8
Page15
68. Twomajortextshadbeenadoptedonfoodimportandexportinspectionandcertification,notably
theGuidelines fortheDesign, Operation, Assessment andAccreditation ofFood Import andExport
InspectionSystems.Thistext,largelyinspiredfromtheSPSAgreement,providedguidanceonapplying
riskassessment principles fordesigning suchinspection systems.
69. Asignificant number ofmaximum residue limits forbothpesticides andveterinary drugs had
beenadopted byCAC andanevenlarger number ofobsolete maximum residue limits forpesticides
hadbeenrevoked asaresult ofthecyclic review process ofCodex. TheCommission haddecided
nottoadopt maximum residue limits forbovine somatotropin (BST).
70. Recognizing thatriskanalysis hadbecome afundamental andunderlying partofitswork, the
CAC hadadopted anaction planfortheCodex-wide development ofriskanalysis principles and
guidelines. However, itwasfeltthatfurther background documentation wasneeded toprovide coherent
principles andguidelines fortheapplication ofriskanalysis principles. Finally, inviewofthedifficulties
inreaching consensus during thelastsession, theCommission haddecided totakesteps toreview its
procedures fortheadoption ofCodex standards.
71. Therepresentative ofChile noted thatduring thelastCAC meeting, participants haddisplayed
apoor understanding oftheSPSAgreement. Some even haddoubts about itsimplementation.
Considering alsotheIPPC Secretariat report onexpert consultations, Chile suggested thatthethree
standard-setting bodies include, asaregular point intherespective agenda oftheirannual orbi-annual
meetings, aformal presentation bytheWTO Secretariat ontheprogress achieved bytheSPSCommittee
intheimplementation oftheAgreement.
72. SharingfullytheconcernsexpressedbyChile,theSecretariatconcurredthatMembers'delegates
todifferent international forawerenotnecessarily familiar withtheSPSprovisions. Thisfrequently
ledtosome confusion. Sofar,theinitiatives taken bytheSecretariat toenhance thelevelofawareness
oftheSPSAgreement among participants toCAC sessions forexample, hadtaken place onaninformal
basis.ThetightagendasfollowedbyCodex,OIE,IPPCandWTOimpededamoreformalandconcerted
undertaking. TheSecretariat hadscheduled workshops orseminars tocomplement themeetings of
theotherorganizations. TheSecretariat hadfound suchevents tobeextremely useful fromthepoint-of-
viewoffeedbackandopportunityfortheparticipantstoputtheseorganizations'meetingsintoperspective
inlightoftheprovisions oftheSPSAgreement, andwould make every effort tocontinue thisaction
totheextent resources permitted.
73. Therepresentative oftheCAC reported thatanagenda itemdevoted totheSPSandtheTBT
Agreements appeared oneachofthelastthreeCAC meetings. Similarly, theOIErepresentative stated
thattheWTO Secretariat wasgiven anopportunity totakethefloorduring eachOIEGeneral Session.
OIEalsoreported thatthelevelofawareness oftheSPSAgreement among OIEMembers wasrelatively
satisfactory.
74. Areport ofthegeneral session oftheInternational Committee oftheOIEheldinMay1997,
summarizingthedecisionstaken,wasdistributedasWTOdocumentG/SPS/GEN/24.Thedissemination
ofinformation relating toOIE standards isnow facilitated through theOIE Web Site
(http://www.oie.org). ThefulltextoftheInternational Zoosanitary Code isnowavailable inthethree
working languages oftheorganization.
75. TherepresentativeoftheWorldHealthOrganization(WHO)reportedthat,withintheframework
oftechnical assistance, ajointFAO/WHO consultative group ofexperts hadbeenheldinJanuary 1997
inRome. Incooperation withFAO, WHO hadorganized aconsultation ontheprevention ofE-coli
infections, inApril 1997. Thereports ofthetwoconsultations were made available intheroom.
Another consultation onthetherapeutic aspects ofE-coli hadbeenheldinBaltimore, United States,G/SPS/R/8
Page16
inJune1997. WHO wascurrently elaborating guidelines addressing theproblem ofprevention and
treatment ofE-coli .Incollaboration withtheFAO andtheAsian Network ofAquacultural Centres,
WHO organized astudy group inBangkok inJuly1997 toexamine thesafety offoods issued from
aquaculture; biological andchemical contamination; andHACCP systems. Guidelines onaquaculture
would beelaborated onthebasisofFAO'sCode onfisheries andinthelightofthedraftCodex Code
onaquaculture products. Finally, tocomplete aseries ofconsultations onriskanalysis, WHO would
holdconsultations withFAO regarding theeventual organization ofathirdmeeting ofexperts.
76. TheChairman requested thestandard-setting bodies toprovide theCommittee withanupdated
listofstandards before thenextmeeting, aswasdonein1995inG/SPS/W/18 (Codex), G/SPS/W/21
(OIE) andG/SPS/W/23 (IPPC).
Other business
77. Therepresentative oftheUnited States reported onthestatus ofconsultations withKorea
regarding thelatter'simport clearance procedures, which hadresulted inimportant delays and,
occasionally, precluded entry ofimported food andagricultural products. After fiverounds of
consultations under theWTO dispute settlement procedure, some Korean import clearance lawsand
regulations hadbeenreformed, aprogress thatwaswelcomed bytheUnited States. However, the
USdelegation reported that,sinceJanuary, problems hadarisen again insome portsasaresult ofthese
amendments. Inaddition, other import clearance requirements hadrecently become another source
ofconcern. TheUSdelegation appreciated aprevious opportunity tocomment onKorea 'sproposed
changes toitsfoodadditives codeandrenewed itsrequest fortechnical consultations onthesameissue.
TheUnited States reaffirmed itsdetermination tocontinue toaddress these concerns inbilateral
consultations, untiltheclearance times inKorean portswerecomparable tothose inother similar ports.
Therepresentative ofKorea assured theCommittee thattheUSrequest forconsultations would be
dulyconveyed tohisauthorities andrequested thatthescientific evidence onwhich theUSclaimed
thatclearance times should beequal inallsimilar ports ofentry becommunicated toitsdelegation
sothatadetailed response beprepared.
78. TherepresentativesofArgentinaandParaguayinformedtheCommitteethattheOIEhaddeclared
bothcountries freefrom foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) withvaccination.
Dateandagenda ofthenextmeeting
79. TheWTOSecretariatrecalledthatArticle12:7oftheSPSAgreementrequiresthattheCommittee
review theoperation andimplementation oftheAgreement threeyears afteritsdateofentry intoforce.
Anewagenda item, "(i)Review oftheSPSAgreement" wasincluded intheproposed agenda for
theOctober meeting. Informal consultations willtakeplace toagree ontheformat andcontent ofthis
review soastoenable theCommittee todevise themostappropriate procedure atitsOctober meeting.
Inview ofthenumber ofinformal meetings thatarestillneeded totackle remaining issues, the
Committee agreed thatallinformal meetings would bescheduled totakeplace prior totheregular
Committee meeting. Thefollowing provisional agenda forthemeeting of14-15 October 1997(tentative
date) wasagreed:
A. Adoption oftheagenda
B. Observers
C. Implementation oftheAgreement
(i) Information from Members
(ii) Specific trade concernsG/SPS/R/8
Page17
D. Transparency Provisions:
(i) Consideration ofspecific notifications received
(ii) Anyother matters related totheoperation oftransparency provisions
E. Monitoring ofuseofinternational standards (G/SPS/W/82/Rev.1)
F. Consistency
G. Technical assistance andcooperation
H. Matters ofinterest arising from thework ofobserver organizations
I. Review oftheSPSAgreement
J. Other business
K. Dateandagenda ofnextmeeting
80. Members whowished toraiseanyspecific concerns orexamine specific notifications forthe
October meeting werereminded toinform other Members involved andtheSecretariat notlaterthan
5p.m.onThursday 2October. TheCommittee tooknoteofthisrequest.