This document provides an overview of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures and the SPS Agreement. It defines SPS measures as those taken to protect human, animal, or plant life from risks arising from additives, contaminants, toxins, or diseases in foods, beverages, or feedstuffs. The SPS Agreement recognizes standards set by Codex Alimentarius, the World Organization for Animal Health, and the International Plant Protection Convention. Key provisions of the SPS Agreement include non-discrimination, scientific justification, transparency, and harmonization. The agreement helps ensure consumers have access to safe food and increases information available to importers and consumers.

1. FAO/WHO Codex Training Package
Module 2.10
Codex Training Package June
2004
Dr.Babasaheb Nagurao Kumbhar
M.V.Sc scholar
College of veterinary sciences, Hyderabad
bobbyvph11@gmail.com

2. International trade influences:
• Promotion of the economic development
• Alleviation of poverty.
SPS measures may influence on:
• Many restrictions in international trade.

3. 3
SPS Measures
Definition -
Human or risks arising from additives,
Animal Health contaminants, toxins or disease
organisms in food, drink, feedstuff
A measure taken to protect:
Human Life plant- or animal-carried diseases
Animal or pests, diseases, disease-causing
Plant life organisms
A country other damage caused by entry,
establishment or spread of pests
from
from
from
from

4. Beneficiaries of the SPS Agreement:
The consumers,
The exporters of agricultural products,
The importers of food & other agricultural products.

5. The SPS Agreement helps:
 To ensure that consumers are being supplied with
safe food to eat – ―safe‖ by the appropriate
standards
To provide greater choice of safe foods for
consumers on the market
To support international competition among
producers regarding safer and healthier food
production

6. The SPS Agreement helps:
 To increase the amount of available information
for consumers as a result of greater transparency
in governmental procedures,
To increase the amount of available information
for importers and to eliminate unjustified border
measures.
To eliminate the unnecessary and unjustified
trade barriers

7. FAO/WHO Codex Training Package
Module 2.10
Codex Training Package June
2004
SPS Agreement recognizes.....
The Codex standards, guidelines and recommendations relating to:
 Food additives
 Veterinary Drug and Pesticide residues
 Contaminants
 Methods of analysis and sampling
 Codes and Guidelines of hygienic practice

8. FAO/WHO Codex Training Package
Module 2.10
Examples of SPS measures
 Inspection of products for microbiological contaminants
 Fumigation treatments for products
 Maximum residue limits for pesticide residues in foods

9. What type of measures?
End Product criteria
Quarantine measures
Risk assessment methods
Processing requirements
Inspection
Sampling & Testing
Health-related labeling
Certifications
All measures with SPS purpose including:
Other Types of Measures
Protection of the environment
Consumer interests other than health
Animal welfare
Not Covered by SPS Agreement but may be TBT
Measures

10. FAO/WHO Codex Training Package
Module 2.10
The SPS Agreement states:
 Food safety measures necessary to protect public health should
conform to Codex standards
 National regulations consistent with Codex standards are presumed
to meet the requirements of the SPS Agreement
 Member countries should base their food safety standards on the
standards of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
 Codex is the reference point for
standards pertaining to food safety
harmonizing national food safety standards
Linkages between Codex & SPS Agreement

11. Key Provisions of the SPS Agreement
1. Non-discrimination
2. Scientific justification
• harmonization
• risk assessment
• consistency
3. Equivalence
4. Transparency
5. Technical assistance/special
Treatment
Control, inspection and approval procedures

12. NON DISCRIMINATION:
Measures should not arbitrarily or unjustifiably
discriminate, where identical or similar
conditions prevail.

13. Transparency :
Achievement of greater degree of:
 Clarity,
 Predictability
 Information regarding trade policy,
rules and procedures of WTO
There are three different fields of activities:
 Publishing regulations,
 Notifications,
 Information.

14. Harmonization
Harmonization means:
 Establishment,
 Recognition and
 Application of
Common SPS
measures by different
countries.

15. Standard-setting organizations
Food Safety
CODEX
Plant Health
IPPC
Animal Health
OIE (zoonosis)
Codex = Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission
OIE = World Organization for Animal Health
IPPC = International Plant Protection Convention (FAO)
Scientific justification
Harmonization
THREE International organizations responsible for harmonization &
standard setting.

16. Risk assessment:
 The evaluation of the
likelihood of entry,
establishment or spread
of a pest or disease within
the territory of an
importing country
according to association
with potential biological or
economic consequences
 The evaluation of the
potential for adverse
effects on human or
animal health arising from
the presence of additives,
contaminants, toxins or
disease-causing organisms
in food, beverages or
feedstuffs.

17. Technical assistance
• Aim is to adjust to & comply with SPS measures to
comply with SPS requirements of importing country &
expand market access opportunities
Areas include
Processing technologies
Research & infrastructure
Establishment of regulatory
bodies
Form of;
 Advice,
 Credits,
Donations,
Grants,
Training,
Equipment
Source - bilateral or through international organizations

18. Enquiry points
An office designated to receive and
respond to any requests for information
regarding the country’s SPS measures.

19. Problems In Implementation
• Non representativeness of international standards
• Absence of a national notification system
• A general lack of awareness
• Some aspects not very well developed –
traceability, risk assessment, R&D, residues, data

20. TECHINICAL BARRIER TO TRADE

21. 21
The right to
protect
human, animal
or plant life or
health
Avoiding
unnecessary
barriers to
trade
TBTSPS

22. Scope of TBT Agreement
Covers all technical regulations, standards and conformity
assessment procedures other that SPS measures
Covers products, processes and services
Covers all products, including industrial & agricultural
products
Covers all standards prepared by recognized standardization
bodies

23.  Technical barriers to trade generally result
from the preparation, adoption and
application of different technical
regulations and conformity assessment
procedures.
 The TBT Agreement is the Code of Good
Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and
Application of Standards which is known as
the WTO Code of Good Practice.

24.  If a producer in country A wants to export to
country B,
 he will be obliged to satisfy the technical
requirements that apply in country B, with
all the financial consequences this entails.

25.  Technical regulations and product standards
may vary from country to country.
 Having many different regulations and
standards makes life difficult for producers
and exporters.

26.  The provisions of the GATT 1947 contained
only a general reference to technical
regulations and standards.
 After years of negotiations at the end of the
Tokyo Round in 1979, 32 GATT Contracting
Parties signed the plurilateral Agreement on
Technical Barriers to Trade.

27. The Agreement on TBT tries to ensure that
Regulations,
Standards,
 Testing and
Certification
procedures do not
create unnecessary
obstacles.

28.  The agreement also sets out a code of good
practice for both governments and non-
governmental or industry bodies to
prepare, adopt and apply voluntary
standards.
 Over 200 standards-setting bodies apply the
code.

29.  The agreement also encourages countries to
recognize each other’s procedures for
assessing whether a product conforms.
 Without recognition, products might have
to be tested twice, first by the exporting
country and then by the importing country.

30.  The Technical Barriers to Trade Committee
is the major clearing house for members to
share the information and the major forum
to discuss concerns about the regulations
and their implementation.

31.  Technical regulations and standards in
the TBT Agreement
 Technical regulations and standards set out
specific characteristics of a product — such
as its size, shape, design, functions and
performance, or the way it is labelled or
packaged before it is put on sale.

32.  While conformity with standards is
voluntary, technical regulations are by nature
mandatory.
 If an imported product does not fulfil the
requirements of a technical regulation, it will not
be allowed to be put on sale. In case of
standards, non-complying imported products will
be allowed on the market, but then their market
share may be affected if consumers' prefer
products that meet local standards such as quality
or colour standards for textiles and clothing.

33. Scope of TBT Agreement Definitions
Conformity Assessment
• Conformity assessment procedures are technical
procedures — such as testing, verification, inspection
and certification — which confirm that products fulfil the
requirements laid down in regulations and standards.
• May include, among other things, procedures for:
– sampling, testing & inspection
– evaluation
– verification & assurance of conformity
– registration, accreditation, and approval

34. Protection of human safety or health
 Safety in food, hygienically, free from any
residues

35. Protection of animal & plant life or
health
 for example require that endangered species
of fish reach a certain length before they
can be caught.

36. Protection of the environment
 for example, the re-cycling of paper and
plastic products, and levels of motor vehicle
emissions.

37.  Other objectives are quality regulations &
technical harmonization/ simply trade facilitation.
 Quality regulations — e.g. those requiring that
vegetables and fruits reach a certain size to be
marketable — are very common in certain
developed countries.
 Regulations aimed at harmonizing certain
sectors, for example that of telecommunications
and terminal equipment, are widespread in
economically integrated areas.

38.  To encourage development of international
standards
 To promote international harmonization of
national / regional regulations and standards
 To prevent regulations and standards from
creating unnecessary obstacles to trade

39. Differences between SPS and TBT Agreements
SPS
Based on risk
assessment,
Risk assessment
from pests, diseases,
additives,
contaminants,
toxins...
Based on scientific
evidence,
TBT
Based on legitimate
objective:
-national security,
-prevention from deceptive
practice,
- environmental protection,

40. Difference Between SPS &TBT
• Regulation regarding fertilizers
SPS it relating to residues in food or animal feed
(objective protection of human/ animal health
TBT it related to quality or efficacy of the product or health
risk to handlers
• Labeling requirements for foods
SPS it related to food safety
TBT it the regulation concerns issues such as; positioning,
letter size, nutrient content, grade, etc.
Contd…

41. Difference Between SPS &TBT
Regulation regarding containers for the
shipment of grains
SPS it relating to fumigation or other
treatment of these containers, i.e.,
disinfection in order to prevent the
spread of disease
TBT it the regulation regards the size or
structure of the containers