AGREEMENT ON SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITORY MEASURES

Agreement On Sanitary and Phytosanitory Measures

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Discussion4

Historical Background and Scientific Foundations5

Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures7

World Trade Organization9

The WTO And Nontariff Barriers12

Food Safety under Trade Agreements13

Trade Conflicts15

Central Characteristics  of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Agreement17

Justification of measures17

Transparency18

Protectionism18

Adapting to conditions19

Alternative measures19

Global regulations20

Assessment  of Risk20

Measurement of Economic Effects21

Effects Of SPS Regulations22

Conclusion23

References25

Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Agreement

Introduction

The SPS Agreement (Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures) became operational on January 1, 1995 with the organization of the WTO. SPS Agreement relates to the function of safety of food with health regulations related to plant and animal. The SPS Agreement sets off the fundamental regulations for safety of food and health standards of plant and animal. It allocates nations to make their personal measures. But it also states parameters should be derived from studies of science. The regulations must be used just to the amount required to guard animal, plant or human health or life. And they must not unjustifiably or arbitrarily distinguish between nations where similar or identical forms overcome. (www.wto.org)

The WTO agreement Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures is about ensuring safety of food and plant & animal health rules are not employed as covered up obstacle to global business. The Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures protects the government rights to acquire measures of phytosanitary and sanitary, but government should not be use to show prejudice towards unjustifiably or arbitrarily between members of World Trade Organizations which relates to similar or identical method. It supports members of WTO to establish own processes on global principles, recommendations and guidelines where these subsist. WTO members can maintain or introduce superior principles if there is technical rationalization, or if an appraisal of risk has illustrated that this is suitable. A country who is importing should judge the principles pertained by a country which exports as corresponding to its models if the country which exports may show that this is the argument. The SPS Agreement makes comprehensive processes administering the system transparency, organization and the announcements of national enquiry points.

Discussion

As per SPS, countries which are its members are supported to employ worldwide guidelines, principles, and advices where they are. Though, member countries can employ procedures that bring about superior principles if there is logical reason. Members may also make superior principles derived from proper estimation of hazards providing the method is reliable, not subjective. The SPS agreement yet permits states to employ diverse principles and dissimilar techniques of examining manufactured goods. 

Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards Require the standards information center in the Department of Commerce to make information available to the public on federal and other sanitary and phytosanitary standards and methodology and participation in international and regional systems and organizations. (Andreas 2007, 12-15)

The new GATT agreement explicitly acknowledged that nations and their governing bodies had a legitimate need to maintain sanitary and phytosanitary standards for farm imports. But it sought to ensure that such standards were based on actual risk and were not disguised trade ...