WTO SPS Committee Agrees to Five Actions on Private Sector Standards
The World Trade Organization’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures Committee has adopted five “actions” in a report on how WTO members might deal with private sector standards for food safety and animal and plant health. The committee is also working on a sixth action on the relation between private and international or government standards.
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Private Sector Standards Plentiful & Not Always Based on Science or Int’l Norms
WTO SPS committee members are concerned about private sector standards as there are many of them; they are not harmonized; they are not always based on science; and they sometimes deviate from international standards or from official governmental requirements.
However, members do acknowledge that private sector standards can also give brands a better reputation and promote best practices and improved productivity.
Agreed Actions Are on Info Sharing, Awareness & Cooperation
Since the WTO SPS Agreement mainly deals with government measures, some members doubt whether the committee can act on private sector standards. However, the SPS Committee did agree to five actions on information sharing, awareness and cooperation regarding private sector standards:
- Define private standards - to develop a working definition of private standards related to SPS, and limit any discussions to these.
- Info. sharing among SPS organizations - for the SPS Committee and its three sister organizations to inform each other regularly about the work they are doing in the area. The “three sisters” are: the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) on food safety, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).
- Briefings on other WTO developments - for the WTO Secretariat to inform the committee of relevant developments in other WTO councils and committees.
- Increase int’l standard awareness - for member governments to help relevant private sector bodies in their countries that are setting standards related to SPS understand the issues raised in the SPS Committee and the importance of the international standards of Codex, OIE and IPPC.
- Increase importance of int’l standards - for the committee to explore co-operation with the three sisters in developing information material underlining the importance of international SPS standards.
Working on 6th Action to Explore Relation of Private Standards to Int’l Standards
Members are still exploring how to implement a sixth “action” in which they would exchange information on private standards and develop their understanding of how these relate to international and government standards. While there is agreement to exchange information, there are differing views as to whether this should be part of the SPS Committee’s agenda.