RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/SPS/W/11
9May1995
ORGANIZATION(95-1208)
Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures Original: English
FAO ACTIVITIES TOASSIST DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
INCONNECTION WITH THE URUGUAY ROUND:
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY ASSISTANCE
INTERNATIONAL PLANT PROTECTION ASSISTANCE
GENERAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Submission bytheCodex andIPPC Representatives
attheMeeting of29-30 March 1995
1. TheFood andAgriculture Organization oftheUnited Nations (FAO) istheUnited Nations
specialized agency which provides technical advice andassistance toitsmember countries, particularly
developing countries, onawide range offoodandagricultural topics. These include advice and
assistance onfoodquality andsafety, plantprotection andquarantine activities andgeneral advice and
information onagricultural production, trade, agricultural policy andincentives forproduction and
trade. TheGATT Uruguay Round Final Actcallsfortechnical assistance todeveloping countries in
many ofthese areas. Because ofitsexpertise, andextensive experience ofproviding assistance to
developing countries, FAOisespecially well-qualified toprovide appropriate advice, technical training
andother technical information toitsmember countries.
FOOD QUALITY AND SAFETY ASSISTANCE
Introduction
2. FAO'sFood Quality andStandards Service ispivotal totheprovision oftechnical assistance
todeveloping countries inrelation tofoodinthecontext oftwooftheAgreements thatwereincluded
intheFinal ActoftheUruguay Round, namely theAgreement ontheApplication ofSanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures (theSPSAgreement) andtheAgreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade (the
TBTAgreement).
3. Thistechnical assistance hasbeenprovided byavariety ofmeans, allinterrelated, withthe
focus being placed onestablishing orstrengthening national foodcontrol systems. Included are
developmental projects onfoodcontrol, foodlawandregulations; establishment ofnational export
food certification programmes; food contamination monitoring programmes; regional training
programmes andworkshops onspecific technical aspects offoodcontrol; publications andtechnical
manuals onfoodcontrol subjects; expert consultations toaddress specific problems concerning food
quality and/or safety; andtheactions ofthejointFAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission in
establishing recommended international Codes ofPractice andstandards ofquality andsafety forfoods.G/SPS/W/11
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Direct Assistance toDeveloping Countries
4. Theexport offoodis,formany countries, aprime source offoreign exchange andconvertible
currencies.Thedifficultyisinmeetingthelegitimatestandardssetbyimportingcountries.Thisrequires
establishing anexport foodcontrol system thatcanexamine andcertify foods before shipment, sothat
foreign buyers canbeconfident thattheymeet international standards andthenumber ofshipment
rejections byimporting countries arekepttoaminimum.
5. Typical ofsuchassistance programs isaverysuccessful FAO/UNDP assistance project with
theMinistry ofAgriculture andCooperatives inThailand. Aneworganization wasformed under the
Ministry, called theCentre forExport Inspection andCertification ofAgricultural Products (CEICAP).
CEICAP hasbeenverysuccessful withtheircertificates nowbeing recognized bymany countries.
Inaddition, CEICAP hasbeenutilized byFAO asatraining siteforfoodcontrol officials fromother
countries oftheRegion receiving technical assistance fromFAO, suchasLaosandVietNam. Another
example fromadifferent region isthespecial technical assistance thatwasprovided toPerutostrengthen
itsfoodcontrol system forimport/export aftertheoutbreak ofacholera epidemic.
6. Countries thathavebeenprovided withdirect FAOtechnical assistance tostrengthen theirfood
control systems haveincluded Albania, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Chile, the
People 'sRepublic ofChina, Colombia, Cuba, theCzech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji,Gabon,
Hungary,India,Indonesia,IvoryCoast,Kenya,theDemocraticPeople'sRepublicofKorea,theRepublic
ofKorea, Laos, Lesotho, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia,
Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Rwanda, theSlovak Republic, SriLanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand,
Trinidad andTobago, Uruguay, Vietnam andZambia.
Regional Assistance toDeveloping Countries
7. Regional activities intheform ofworkshops andseminars areafurther form oftechnical
assistance thatisrelevant totradeandtheUruguay Round. Theyachieve thisthrough providing training
andpersonneldevelopmenttofoodcontrolofficialsinvolvedinexportsandimportsoffood.Anexample
ofsuchanactivity isanFAO Seminar onManagement ofFood Control Programmes forEastern and
Central Europe thatwasheldduring September 1993atSeibersdorf inAustria, andModra intheSlovak
Republic. Senior levelfoodcontrol officials ofallEastern andCentral European countries participated.
Theprogramme allowed theparticipants topresent current issues infoodcontrol confronting food
control managers inmostEastern andCentral European countries. Presentations bysenior managers
offoodcontrol programmes inFAO, theNorth Americas andWestern Europe provided theparticipants
withinformation onexisting foodcontrol programmes, including theorganizational structures inother
parts oftheworld representing different systems orapproaches tofoodcontrol.
8. Asimilar seminar onotheraspects offoodcontrol forotherparticipants fromthesamecountries
wasalsoheldinPrague, intheCzech Republic. Recommendations from thisseminar specifically
requested FAO toprovide seminars ontheSPSAgreement attheregional levelandnational levels,
particularly astheyrelated tofoodexport control. AWTO Agreement Round Table meeting washeld
inMarch 1995fortheCzech Republic, inwhich theSPSAgreement wasdiscussed atlength andplans
arebeing made foradditional meetings inthefuture inother countries.
Regular Programme Assistance toDeveloping Countries
9. FAO'sFood Quality andStandards Service alsoprovides technical assistance insupport of
international tradethrough itsregular programme. Itincludes regular programme workonfoodquality
andsafety andtheSecretariat oftheCodex Alimentarius Commission. Bothplayavitalroleinthe
international trade infoodandthusinmatters thatrequire action asaresult oftheUruguay Round
decisions.G/SPS/W/11
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10. TheCodex Alimentarius Commission isanintergovernmental body reporting tothe
Directors-General ofFAOandWHO. Funded primarily byFAO, itimplements theJointFAO/WHO
Food Standards Programme withthestated purpose ofprotecting consumers 'health andfacilitating
international trade infoods. Itcurrently has151Member nations. More than280Codex standards,
40Codes ofGood Manufacturing andHygienic Practice andMaximum Residue Limits for137
agricultural andveterinary chemicals infoodhavebeenadopted bytheCAC forthispurpose. Under
theterms oftheSPSAgreement, measures thatareinaccordance withthestandards established by
theappropriate international standards setting body (andthismeans Codex standards inthecaseof
foodrelated measures toprotect human lifeorhealth) areautomatically presumed tobejustified.
11. TheFAO'sFoodQuality andStandards Service alsodevelops Manuals ofFoodQuality Control
which provide recommendations forthedevelopment andoperation offoodquality andsafety systems.
Theseareaimedprimarilyatprovidingadvicetodevelopingcountries,anddocumentmodernapproaches
including thedevelopment ofquality control programmes throughout thefoodchain. Suchanapproach
isinstrumental infacilitating international tradeinfood. Keytitlesintheseries include FoodInspection,
Food forExport, Management ofFood Control Programmes andImported Food Inspection.
INTERNATIONAL PLANT PROTECTION CONVENTION ASSISTANCE
Introduction
12. Technical assistance isprovided byFAOtomembers indeveloping countries toupgrade their
plant quarantine services toafullyoperational level. Thisassistance isgiven through theregular
programme aswellastheFAO fieldprogramme (seeAnnex).
Regular Programme Assistance toDeveloping Countries
13. Inconnection withtheregular programme, assistance isprovided through thedevelopment
ofinternationalstandardsandguidelinesinplantquarantinewhichwouldensurethatquarantinemeasures
arescientificallybasedandwouldnotconstituteunwarrantedtradebarriers.Tothiseffect,theSecretariat
fortheInternational Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) wasestablished toguide awork programme
onharmonization inplantquarantine. Inaddition, aCommittee ofExperts onPhytosanitary Measures
(CEPM) wasestablished toassist theIPPC Secretariat initswork. Thefirstinternational standard
which wasapproved wasthePrinciples ofPlant Quarantine asrelated toInternational Trade. Other
proposals havebeendeveloped andareinvarious stages ofapproval. These include the"Guidelines
forPestRiskAnalysis", the"Code ofConduct fortheImport andRelease ofBiological Control Agents"
andthe"Glossary ofPhytosanitary Terms". Thefirsttwoproposals willbesubmitted fortheirapproval
in1995, while theGlossary willbepublished. Other proposals arebeing developed, including the
"Requirements forPestFreeAreas". Thepublication ofthese standards willassist member countries
inharmonizing theirquarantine measures toenhance plant protection while facilitating trade.
Direct Assistance toDeveloping Countries
14. AsregardstheFAOfieldprogramme,assistancehasbeenprovidedinupgradingplantquarantine
services ofmember countries through theassessment andimprovement ofquarantine legislation, the
provision ofbasic facilities forinspection andtreatment, theestablishment ofsurvey programmes,
andthetraining ofstaffinquarantine procedures, including thecurrent developments inharmonization
inplantquarantine.ThisassistancehasbeengivenessentiallythroughTechnicalCooperationProgramme
(TCP) Projects. Additionally, technical support hasbeenprovided toother projects funded byvarious
donors (UNDP, Trust Fund, World Bank, etc.).G/SPS/W/11
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15. Theprovisionofassistanceundertheaforementionedareasisaimedatstrengtheningandupdating
thecapabilities ofthequarantine services ofmember countries toenable them tomeetthedemands
ofpresent developments inplantquarantine asrelated tointernational tradeand,thus,promote adequate
plant protection andenhance trade.
GENERAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Introduction
16. During thecourse oftheUruguay Round, theFAOSecretariat wasencouraged byFAOCouncil
andConference toassist members intheirpreparations fortheNegotiations. Thiswasdoneonanumber
ofoccasions when theSecretariat provided statistics, information andstudies toassist groups of
developing countries during thenegotiations, particularly theGroup ofNetFoodImporting Developing
Countries butalsoother regional economic groupings.
17. AstheRound came towards itsend,FAO switched theemphasis ofitsassistance tohowto
dealwiththechanges intheexternal trading environment postUruguay Round. Prominent inthese
activities were theholding oftworegional expert consultations, onewithECOWAS fortheAfrica
region andonewiththeWorld Bank forLatin America. Theformer washeldinGhana in1993 and
attended byexperts fromcountries intheECOWAS region, where theimplications oftheconclusion
oftheUruguay Round foragricultural policy bothdomestic andexternal andforfoodsecurity were
examined. TheLatin American Consultation concentrated ontheissue ofpossible instruments for
market stabilization inthewake oftheUruguay Round. These regional activities weresupplemented
bypioneering studies ontheimplications oftrade liberalization forfoodsecurity, particularly food
aidandforfoodstocks. These contributed inparttotheexclusion offoodsecurity stocks fromdomestic
support reduction commitments andtoanacknowledgement thatfoodaidcould beaffected bythereform
process.
18. Wehavebuiltonthese pieces ofwork inourcurrent activities tohelpcountries dealwithpost
Uruguay Round realities. These activities maybegrouped asregional, national level, andglobal.
Regional Activities
19. Asregardsregionalactivities,FAOhasalreadyarrangedtwoexpertconsultations,oneinCyprus
inDecember 1994 andanother inBangkok inJanuary 1995. TheNear EastExpert Consultation
examined theimpact oftheUruguay Round onagricultural trade oftheregion, including intra-trade
questions andtheparticular prospects forthehorticultural exports from theregion totheEuropean
Union asaconsequence ofthechanges inaccess provided under theRound. TheExpert Consultation
fortheFarEastfocused ontheoilseeds andoilseed products sector andincluded aconsideration of
changes intheglobal andregional markets aswellaspolicy implications. Unfortunately, theGATT
Secretariat wasnotabletoparticipate ineither ofthese activities.
National Activities
20. TheFAOisresponding toalargenumber ofrequests fromdeveloping countries forassistance
inassessing theconsequences oftheUruguay Round ontheirnational agricultural policies. Ourbiggest
project, financed bytheDutch Ministry ofAgriculture, istohelpEthiopia undertake areview ofits
agricultural policy totakeintoaccount thechanges intheworld external trading regime. Thispilot
project should beconcluded in1995witharegional Workshop tobeheldtolearnthelessons forpolicy
formulation ofthisinitial project. Forother countries, e.g.Cuba, Brazil andPakistan, FAO isor
willbeparticipating inRound Tables orSeminars ontheUruguay Round. Some work hasbeendoneG/SPS/W/11
Page5
fortheCARICOM region while areport isbeing prepared forTunisia. Staffhavebriefed orwillbrief
individual countries onspecial aspects oftheimplications oftheUruguay Round fortheir policy
formulation. BothPanama andtheCzech Republic havebeenassisted inthisway.
Global Activities
21. Theglobal activities underway, which benefit allmembers, include studies, publications and
meetings. Themain study onwhich wearecurrently engaged isadetailed projection oftheoutlook
to2000 ofproduction, consumption, imports, exports andprices foraround 20main agricultural
commodities taking intoaccount theeffect ofboththeUruguay Round aswellastheothermajor changes
underway innational andinternational agricultural policy. These projections arebeing doneforall
countries andgroups ofcountries. Forthispurpose wehaveespecially modified ourWorld FoodModel,
which contains over14,000 equations andhaveentered intothemodel allthechanges intariffs, access
provisions andexport subsidy commitments foralldetailed products andhaveaggregated them into
manageable groups. This work hasoccupied agroup ofaround 20commodity specialists,
econometricians andmodel builders forseveral months. Theresults willbepublished overthecourse
ofthenext6-12months. Once these studies arefinished weshould endeavour tocover theother main
agricultural commodities. Theresults oncommodity markets willbepresented totheCommittee on
Commodity Problems atitsnextSession inApril 1995. Theimpact onfoodsecurity oftheseprojections
including theproblems ofhigher foodimport billsfortheLeast Developed andNetFood Importing
Developing Countries willbetaken upbytheCommittee onWorld Food Security, alsoinApril 1995.
AllofFAO'sIntergovernmental Commodity Groups willexamine theoutlook postUruguay Round
attheirmeetings thefirstofwhich, onmeat, tookplace inOctober andtheothers willbetaking place
overthenextyear-eighteen months. Inaddition topapers andstudies forourGoverning Bodies, FAO
willissueabook-length study detailing theresults commodity bycommodity mentioned before. FAO
isalsoworking onthepreparation ofteaching materials forourtraining activities inagricultural policy
formulation.
22. FAOlooksforwardtoworkingwithotherorganizationsinassistingcountriesintheirassessments
oftheimpact oftheUruguay Round onnational agricultural policies. FAO hasworked closely with
some oftheinternational commodity councils, withindependent researchers andhasgood contacts
withtheWorld Bank, OECD, WTO andUNCTAD. However, itmustberecognized thatassisting
countries totakeintoaccount theUruguay Round when formulating theiragricultural policies will
needincreased resources.G/SPS/W/11
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ANNEX
FAO PROGRAMME FOR PLANT QUARANTINE HARMONIZATION
Technical Support Programme
IPPC Secretariat: 28March 1995
1. Theprogramme isintended tosupply support forthestrengthening ofPlantQuarantine Services,
including theirinfrastructure, thetraining ofstaffandtheprovision ofequipment, andtraining associated
withtheimplementation ofinternational standards forphytosanitary measures.
2. InthelastyeartheSecretariat hasbeeninvolved inprojects forstrengthening ofplantquarantine
services suchas:
- theNear East(regional project)
- Dominica
- Malta
- Syria
3. Specific training wasgiven onthePrinciples ofPlant Quarantine asRelated toInternational
Trade andPestRiskAnalysis.
4. Inthefuture, projects areplanned forAfrica in:
- Ghana
- Zaire
- Gambia
5. Also, aregional project isplanned forSADC member countries fortheimplementation ofPest
RiskAnalysis andtheproduction ofpestdatasheets.
6. Alltheabove projects havebeenoraretobefunded under theFAO Technical Cooperation
Programme (TCP).
7. FAO isalsosupplying technical assistance toaplant quarantine project inIndia, funded by
UNDP.
8. Aproject forCARICOM members, fortheharmonization ofplant quarantine andthe
implementation ofstandards, isunder consideration forexternal funding byinternational donors.