REPORT
(2020) ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON
SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES
1.1. The present report is being circulated by the Chairperson of the
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Committee) on his own
responsibility. This report provides a summary of the activities of the SPS Committee
during 2020.
1.2. The SPS Committee held two regular meetings in 2020: a meeting on 25-26
June and a meeting on 5-6 and 13 November 2020.[1]
In light of the COVID-19 situation, the meetings were held in person and via
the virtual platform Interprefy, allowing for broad participation from Geneva‑based
and capital-based delegates.[2]
The June 2020 meeting also included a written procedure, due to the shorter
time available for the meeting as a result of the pandemic.[3]
For these two meetings, the SPS Committee made use of a new online tool,
eAgenda, which allows Members to submit agenda items, statements, and specific
trade concerns (STCs) online.[4]
In addition, the SPS Committee held subsequent discussions on the
procedure and format used in the June 2020 SPS Committee meeting with a
view to determining what aspects should continue to be used in future SPS Committee
meetings.
1.3. Mr Daniel Arboleda (Colombia) had been elected in July 2019 as
Chairperson for 2019-2020. Mr Gregory MacDonald (Canada) was elected as
Chairperson for 2020-2021.
1.4. At its meeting of 25-26 June, the SPS Committee adopted the Report on
the Fifth Review of the SPS Agreement (Fifth Review Report).[5]
This concluded a process that had been launched in March 2018 and had given
rise to 22 proposals submitted by 29 Members, covering ten different topics.[6]
The Fifth Review Report contains information on areas identified for further
work by the SPS Committee, including recommendations on the following
topics: (i) appropriate level of protection, risk assessment and science;
(ii) control, inspection and approval procedures; (iii) equivalence;
(iv) fall armyworm; (v) national SPS coordination mechanisms;
(vi) notification procedures and transparency; (vii) Maximum Residue
Levels (MRLs) for plant protection products; (viii) regionalization; (ix) role
of Codex, OIE and IPPC in addressing STCs; and (x) voluntary third‑party
assurance schemes.[7]
Members showed high
levels of constructive engagement and great flexibility to reach consensus on
the final set of recommendations.
[1] A first SPS Committee meeting initially scheduled to take place on
19-20 March 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
[2] At the SPS Committee meeting of November 2020, in-person attendance
was restricted to five individuals in line with recommendations issued by
the Canton of Geneva and delegates were invited to join the meeting virtually.
[3] See the procedure outlined in _JOB/SPS/7,
and the annotated agenda for the June 2020 SPS Committee meeting in _JOB/SPS/8 (and _JOB/SPS/8/Add.1). The written procedure was undertaken
via the eAgenda platform, which facilitated an exchange of statements on STCs and
other agenda items.
[4] Members shared positive feedback on the use of eAgenda.
[5] _G/SPS/64
and _G/SPS/64/Add.1.
[6] The Fifth Review Report also contains information on the
discussions that took place in the SPS Committee and thematic sessions and
a list of the topics and proposals submitted under the Fifth Review. A summary
of all submitted proposals and papers is also included in the Fifth Review Report
as well as in document _G/SPS/GEN/1625/Rev.6.
[7] _G/SPS/64
and _G/SPS/64/Add.1.