Sanitary and Phytosanitary Issues

The World Trade Organization (WTO) was created as a result of the successful conclusion of the Uruguay Round of the international trade negotiations under General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1996. One of the most significant areas to have been completed under GATT for the WTO was the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement, which outlines disciplines and limits on measures to be taken to protect human, animal, and plant life and health from foreign pests, diseases, and contaminants.

The challenge to Uruguay Round negotiators was to create a set of rules that would strike the proper balance between health and environmental protection while disallowing regulatory protectionism. The SPS Agreement recognizes the right of each WTO member to adopt an "appropriate level of protection" (ALOP) of trade-restricting measures to protect human, animal, and plant life and health, but insists that such measures be based on a scientific assessment of the risks, be applied only to the extent necessary to achieve public health or environmental goals, and not discriminate between domestic and foreign products or threats.

The WTO SPS Agreement is credited with increasing the transparency of countries' SPS regulations, spurring regulatory reforms, and providing a means for settling SPS-related trade disputes. The U.S. has successfully used the SPS Agreement to challenge a number of other countries' SPS import measures in the WTO, including the EU's ban on imports of beef from cattle treated with hormones and Japan's restrictions on imported apples based on unfounded concerns over Fireblight disease.

To protect its interests, the U.S. has played an active role in identifying issues and framing the debates within the international standard-setting bodies referred to in the SPS Agreement. The "three sisters," as these bodies are known, are: the Codex Alimentarius Commission (the food safety standards-setting body); the World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE (the animal health standard-setting body); and the International Plant Protection Convention, or IPPC (the plant health standard-setting body).

Link:
WTO SPS Committee

THE THREE SISTERS:

Codex Alimentarius
The Codex Alimentarius Commission is the international food safety standards-setting body within the UN family of international organizations. Codex was created in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) to develop food standards, guidelines, and related texts such as codes of practice under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Program. The main purposes of this program are protecting the health of consumers and ensuring fair trade practices in food trade, and promoting coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organizations. The Department of State participates with other U.S. Government agencies in the work of Codex, especially regarding agricultural biotechnology, labeling, traceability, and legal and budgetary issues.

Links:
U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service
CODEX Alimnetarius

World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)
The OIE is an intergovernmental organization created by the International Agreement of January 25, 1924 and signed by 28 countries. As of August 2004, the OIE totaled 167 member countries. Its mission is to guarantee the transparency of animal disease status worldwide; to collect, analyze, and disseminate veterinary scientific information; to provide expertise and promote international consensus for the control of animal diseases; and to guarantee the sanitary safety of world trade by developing sanitary rules for international trade in animals and animal products.

Link:
Office of International Epizootics

The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)
The purpose of the IPPC is to secure a common and effective action to prevent the spread and introduction of pests of plants and plant products, and to promote appropriate measures for their control. The convention extends to the protection of natural flora and plant products. It also includes both direct and indirect damage by pests--including weeds. The provisions extend to cover conveyances, containers, storage places, soil, and other objects or material capable of harboring plant pests. National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) and Regional Plant Protection Organizations (RPPOs) work together to help members meet their IPPC obligations.

Link:
International Plant Protection Convention