RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/L/38
21November 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3642)
Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
Report (1995) oftheCommittee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
Thepresent report isbeing circulated bytheChairman oftheCommittee onSanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures onhisownresponsibility. Thisreport provides aresumé oftheactivities and
decisions oftheCommittee during 1995.
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TheCommittee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures (the"SPS Committee") heldthree
regular meetings in1995, on29-30 March, 26-27 Juneand15-16 November. On6-7November,
theSPSCommittee heldaspecial meeting, jointly withtheCommittee onTechnical Barriers toTrade,
withrespect tothetransparency provisions ofbothagreements. Ambassador K.Bergholm (Finland)
wasappointed Chairman for1995.
TheSPSCommittee agreed onworking procedures fortheconduct ofitswork (G/SPS/1),
andagreed toconsider Rules ofProcedure atitsfirstmeeting in1996. Italsoadopted procedures
forthenotification ofproposed sanitary andphytosanitary measures (G/SPS/2/Rev.1). Listsofnational
Enquiry Points andofnational Notification Authorities wereestablished. AtitsJunemeeting, theSPS
Committee tookadecision regarding information tobesubmitted byobserver governments (G/SPS/3).
TheSPSCommittee considered information provided byMembers regarding theirnational
regulatory procedures andtheiruseofriskassessment inthedevelopment ofsanitary andphytosanitary
measures. Italsoidentified work being undertaken byrelevant standard-setting organizations onrisk-
assessment methodologies. Preliminary work wascarried outontheguidelines toensure consistency
inriskmanagement decisions, which theSPSCommittee isrequired todevelop (Article 5:5refers).
TheSPSCommittee exchanged views regarding theestablishment ofaprocedure tomonitor theuse
ofinternational standards, andexisting standards wereidentified. TheSPSCommittee alsoaddressed
practices fortheexchange ofrelevant sanitary andphytosanitary information between trading partners.
TheSPSCommittee agreed toinvite, onanadhocbasis, thefollowing intergovernmental
organizations asobservers toitsregular meetings: theOffice International desEpizooties (OIE); the
FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex); theFAO International Plant Protection
Convention Secretariat (IPPC); theFAO; theWorld Health Organization (WHO); andtheInternational
Trade Centre (ITC). Inlight ofitstechnical expertise inmatters related totheAgreement, the
International Standards Organization (ISO) wasalsoinvited toparticipate, onanadhocbasis, asan
observer atmeetings oftheSPSCommittee.
Thefollowing tentative schedule ofmeetings in1996 wasagreed bytheSPSCommittee:
20-21 March, 29-30 Juneand8-9October.