RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/SPS/W/20
22June1995
ORGANIZATION(95-1720)
Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures Original: English
OUTLINE OFNEW ZEALAND 'SUSEOFRISK ASSESSMENT
PROCEDURES INDETERMINING SPSMEASURES
Submission byNewZealand fortheMeeting of26-27 June 1995
Introduction
1. NewZealand hasbeenheavily involved inthedevelopment andapplication ofriskanalysis
procedures usedindetermining sanitary andphytosanitary standards atbothanational andinternational
level. TheNewZealand Government hasendorsed theuseofriskanalysis asthebasisforestablishing
NewZealand 'ssanitary andphytosanitary requirements andthatsuchrequirements beconsistent with
NewZealand 'sobligations under theWTO:SPS Agreement. Further, theNewZealand Government
hasaccepted thatthepursuit ofa"zero risk" policy iscounterproductive globally anddomestically,
andinreality isnotachievable.
2. Consistent withinternational riskanalysis standards andguidelines, NewZealand considers
risk(asitrelates totrade inanimals, plants andtheirproducts) asameasure oftheprobability of
introduction ofanunwanted organism and/or anundesirable public health event occurring andthe
consequences ofsuchanintroduction orevent.
3. NewZealand riskanalysis processes include fourkeycomponents, although there issome
variabilityacrossdisciplinesinhowthesearedescribed(asisthecaseinternationally);riskidentification,
riskassessment, riskmanagement andriskcommunication .NewZealand considers riskassessment
tobeanintegral component ofthiswider riskanalysis approach which cannot beadequately described
inisolation. Thispaper therefore outlines NewZealand 'suseofriskanalysis procedures intheareas
ofanimal health, plant health andfoodsafety withanemphasis ontheriskassessment component.
Animal Health RiskAnalysis
4. NewZealand recognizes thatriskanalysis mustdealwithsituations astheyarise, andtolerate
themathematical limitations oftheanimal disease prevalence estimates orother suchdataonwhich
itisbased. However, NewZealand takes thestance thatifthere areinsufficient datatoassess the
riskaccurately, aconservative decision must betaken.
5. NewZealand 'sriskidentification andassessment procedures foranimal andanimal product
imports involves drawing upacomprehensive listofallthedisease-causing agents which could be
associated withthespecies orcommodity under consideration, identifying thepossible routes bywhich
these could come intocontact withsusceptible animals inNewZealand, andestimating, asobjectively
aspossible, theprobability thatanimportation would result intheentry ofanexotic disease agent
andthatlocal livestock would beexposed tothatagent. Riskmanagement measures canthenbe
identified andapplied toreduce therisktoanacceptable level.
6. Thediscipline ofquantitative riskanalysis, asitapplies totheimportation ofanimals andanimal
products, isstillinitsinfancy inNewZealand. Until relatively recently NewZealand hastended toG/SPS/W/20
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basedecisions almost solely onnon-quantitative riskanalyses, andthese stillhaveavaluable roleto
playintheroutine administration ofimports ofanimal products. Non-quantitative riskanalyses can
beobjective, repeatable andtransparent andalways takelesstime, andthusarelessexpensive, than
quantitative analyses.
7. NewZealand hasrecently applied quantitative riskanalysis procedures toassess therisksof
introducing exotic fishdiseases through imports ofheadless, eviscerated, wild, ocean-caught Pacific
salmon from Canada.
8. Theriskofintroducing anyoneofthe23diseases considered wasestimated, using aquantitative
computer model, tobelessthan1disease introduction per10million tonnes ofimports. Based on
thisandthefactthattheentire annual production ofBritish Columbia islessthan100,000 tons, of
which NewZealand isexpected toimport lessthan200tons,theriskanalysis concluded thattheoverall
risk, ifappropriately certified bytheCanadian Government authorities astoorigin andgrade, is
negligible andposes littleornothreat toNewZealand 'sfishpopulation.
9. Thebenefits ofanimal andanimal product imports often accrue toarelatively small group
ofpeople, usually theentrepreneurs, initial importers anddistributors oftheimported material. The
risks, ontheother hand, areborne byamuch broader group. Forthese reasons ariskanalysis may
include abenefits/cost analysis oftheproposed importation. However, importation maynevertheless
bepermitted evenintheabsence ofanydemonstrable national benefit.
Plant PestRiskAnalysis
10. PlantPestRiskAnalysis (PRA) isviewed byNewZealand asavitaltoolinthedecision-making
processfordeterminingphytosanitarymeasuresforimportsofplantmaterial.NewZealandhastherefore
strongly supported theinitiatives oftheSecretariat oftheInternational Plant Protection Convention
ofFAOtodevelop international standards forPRA. TheuseofPRAprovides forgreater objectivity,
consistency, transparency andjustification inthisdecision-making process.
11. Based ontheFAO Guidelines forPRA, NewZealand hasdeveloped andoperates aninterim
PRAStandard fordetermining theprobability ofpestintroduction (entry andestablishment). Using
thisstandard, NewZealand hascarried outanddocumented more thantwenty biological assessments
onvarious pestsofquarantine concern toNewZealand. These include anumber offruitfly(Tephritidae)
species including Mediterranean fruitfly,Queensland fruitfly,apple maggot, Fijian fruitfly,Pacific
Island fruitfly,Mexican fruitfly,melon fruitfly,West Indian fruitfly,cucumber fly,Oriental fruit
fly,banana fruitflyandpapaya fruitfly;fungal pathogens suchasthecasual organisms ofapple brown
rotandJapanese apple rust; andbacterial pathogens suchasXanthomonas campestris pvcitri(citrus
canker).
12. TheNewZealand PRAstandard adopts aquantitative approach tobiological riskassessment
andrequires scientists toestimate probabilities (based ontechnical information) foranumber of
conditions which needtobefulfilled ifpestintroduction istooccur. Thisenables scientists tocalculate
themaximum infestation levelpermissible inanyoneconsignment ofimported plant material. Risk
management measures canthenbedeveloped toensure thislevelisnotexceeded.
13. NewZealand hasalsodeveloped ageneric computer model foreconomic impact assessments.
Using standard economic techniques suchaspartial budgeting, scientists andeconomists cancalculate
thedirect economic impact ofpestintroductions. Thevariables considered inthismodel include such
factors asyield loss,additional pestcontrol costs, additional postharvest costs andeffect onboth
domestic andexport market prices. Sucheconomic impact assessments arecurrently being undertaken
foranumber offruitflyspecies using themodel.G/SPS/W/20
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14. Thedatafrombiological assessments andeconomic impact assessments willbeusedtodevelop
orreview phytosanitary measures sothatriskmanagement options usedareconsistent withthelevel
ofriskidentified andaretechnically justifiable andtransparent.
Food Safety RiskAssessment
15. NewZealand hasbeenanactive participant ininternational forums onfoodsafety riskanalysis,
most recently attheFAO/WHO Expert Consultation ontheApplication ofRiskAnalysis toFood
Standards Issues (March 1995). Riskassessment wasdefined atthatconsultation as:
"Thescientific evaluation oftheprobability ofoccurrence ofknown orpotential adverse health
effects resulting fromhuman exposure tofoodborne hazards. Theprocess consists ofhazard
identification, hazard characterisation, exposure assessment andriskcharacterisation. This
includes quantitative riskassessment, which emphasizes reliance onnumerical expression of
risk, andalsoqualitative expressions ofrisk, aswellasanindication oftheattendant
uncertainties ..."
16. Internationally,andwithinNewZealand,suchriskassessmentmethodologiesaremostdeveloped
withrespect tochemical hazards, andleastdeveloped withrespect tobiological hazards. NewZealand,
inlinewiththeinternational thinking andguidelines, isintheformative stages ofdeveloping and
implementing moreformal riskassessment procedures forallhealth hazards tosupport thedetermination
offoodsafety standards andregulations.
17. Riskassessment procedures havebeensuccessfully applied byNewZealand intheareas of
meatandseafood inspection insupport ofNewZealand 'sefforts toseekmodification orremoval of
"historical", butunjustified SPSrequirements ofcountries importing suchproducts fromNewZealand.
Theuseofriskassessment andotherrelated andsupporting procedures (e.g.HACCP) willplayamajor
andexpanding roleinNewZealand 'sefforts toestablish thatitsfoodproduction, processing, inspection
andcertification systems comply with and/or areequivalent toimporting countries food safety
requirements.