1) The document discusses the role of sanitary and phytosanitary measures in international trade agreements. It outlines some of the challenges faced by the EU and US in bilateral trade negotiations, including differences in rules around issues like animal welfare, food safety standards, and pesticide use. 2) The EU wishes to address more issues in bilateral trade agreements than are currently covered in existing veterinary agreements with countries like the US. The EU wants to push principles around animal welfare, antibiotics use, and geographical indications of food products. 3) Negotiating bilateral trade agreements presents both opportunities to advance important EU policies and principles internationally, but also threats if the EU has to compromise on key positions to achieve more balanced

1. Role of sanitary and phytosanitary
measures in trade
Effects of EU bilateral trade agreements on agriculture and food sectors
Säätytalo, Helsinki
16.12.2016
Matti Aho

2. 2
Problems reported by the EU SMEs
in US exports

3.  The three sisters – international standard setting bodies with
risk assessment functions
– Codex Alimentarius Commission – food
– World Animal Health Organisation OIE – animal health
– International Plant Protection Convention IPPC – plant health
 WTO SPS committee
– Standardisation doesn’t empty disagreements
– Trade problems are very difficult to solve and usually takes a very long time,
reaching mutual understanding is usually complicated
– Only the most important ones are forwarded to the dispute settlement
system
 WTO dispute settlement bodies, including appellation bodies
– Hormone case US vs. EU – 1988 to 2012
– African Swine Fever case Russia vs. EU - ongoing
3
World Trade Organisation system

4.  Self standing agreements – export-import equivalence,
reciprocity; simplified certificates
– New Zeeland, Canada – legally binding
– USA – APHIS considers indicative only
 SPS-chapter in Free Trade Agreements – general principles;
harmonized certificates
– Canada, Chile, South Korea, Mexico, Columbia, Peru,
Central America, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova
 Other agreements
– Russia, China – MOUs
– Kazakstan
– ETA, Switzerland 4
Existing Veterinary and Equivalence
agreements

5.  Former EU-Canada Veterinary Agreement includes animal
welfare issues (although still weak)
 EU-Canada Free Trade Agreement (CETA) includes
– Plant health issues
– Geographical indications
• Protected designation of origin (PDO) – “Lapin puikula”
• Protected geographical indication (PGI) – “Puruveden muikku”
• Traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) – “karjalanpiirakka”
– New approach investor-to-State dispute settlement
(ISDS)
5
Some points causing irritation (in
the US)

6.  General principles
– Integrated approach – from farm to table
– Precautionary principle
 Issues covered by the current US veterinary agreement
– EU inspection of US establishments and farms
– Maximum residue levels
• Ractopamine
– Use of hormones as growth promoters
– Microbiological criteria for food, partly
– Animal identification and traceability
6
European wish list to bilateral trade
agreements in Food Sector - 1

7.  Issues not covered by the current US veterinary agreement
– Animal welfare
• Battery hens
• Alternative methods to animal testing
– Poultry/cattle carcass rinses
• Chlorine, peroxyacetic acid is already proposed to be approved in the
EU
 Other open/forthcoming issues
– Geographical indications
– Plant protection substances – integrated pest management
– Prudent use of antibiotics – Antimicrobial resistance
– GM-policy
– Food producing animal cloning & descendants
– REACH regulation – endocrine disruptors
– Nutrition – obesity, diabetes
7
European wish list to bilateral trade
agreements in Food Sector - 2

8.  Fair competition, differences in the business environment
– Animal welfare legislation - battery hens, spacing requirements
– Environmental legislation
– Farm subsidy systems
– Different perception related of food safety
 Private certification systems – an obstacle to trade or not?
 Why have we failed to create a multilateral system?
8
Tricky points

9.  Opportunities
– An excellent opportunity to push forward principles important to the
EU – animal welfare, prudent use of antibiotics, etc.
– Balanced SPS measures may enhance reciprocity of trade
– Opens markets and enhances trade – horizontal requirements
(prelisting, certification, etc.) and product specific requirements
(import requirements/certificates)
– Improves implementation of international standards, for example in
acknowledging OIE-statuses and regionalisation
– Improves co-operation at the international fora
 Threats
– Artificial SPS obstacles to trade may replace levies on imports and
quotas
– EU may be pushed to lay down of arms with principles, for example
hormone treated meat, carcass decontamination
– Lack of reciprocity / unbalanced agreements
9
Bilateral trade agreements

10. 10
Thank you