USTR - The SPS Agreement

The WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures : 

The WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Jane Doherty Director, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Affairs Office of the United States Trade Representative

WTO Agreements : 

WTO Agreements Foundation of the international trading system. Outcome of the 1986-1994 Uruguay Round of negotiations held under GATT.

Interagency Roles : 

Interagency Roles USTR FAS Interagency Team: APHIS, EPA, FDA FSIS, Commerce, State

WTO SPS Agreement : 

WTO SPS Agreement Basic trade rules for food safety and animal and plant health standards. Objective: Preserve WTO Members’ rights to provide a level of health protection they deem appropriate. Obligations to ensure rights are not misused and result in disguised barriers to trade.

Rights and Obligations under the SPS Agreement : 

Rights and Obligations under the SPS Agreement Allows countries to set own standards Must be based on science/data; Applied only to the extent necessary to protect human, animal and plant health; and Cannot be arbitrary or used to unjustifiably discriminate domestically (“national treatment”) or between trading partners.

Rights and Obligations under the SPS Agreement : 

Rights and Obligations under the SPS Agreement Agreement encourages members to use international standards (OIE, IPPC and CODEX); Members can apply measures that result in higher or lower level of protection than set out in an international standard; Higher level allowed with scientific justification, and consistent application.

Rights and Obligations under the SPS Agreement : 

Rights and Obligations under the SPS Agreement Measures cannot be more trade-restrictive than necessary to achieve appropriate level of protection. Requires recognition equivalence if exporting country demonstrates that its measures meet the importing country’s level of SPS security.

Rights and Obligations under the SPS Agreement : 

Rights and Obligations under the SPS Agreement Transparency in the application of SPS measures. FAS is our National Notification Authority and Enquiry Point.

The WTO SPS Agreement : 

The WTO SPS Agreement Operation and implementation monitored through WTO SPS Committee

The WTO SPS Agreement : 

The WTO SPS Agreement Consultations and Dispute Settlement Members may avail themselves of GATT Dispute Settlement provisions and the Dispute Settlement Understanding.