SIXTH REVIEW of the Operation and Implementation of the Agreement
on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

REPORT ADOPTED BY the committee on 20 March 2025 – PART B

Addendum

The report of the Sixth Review of the Operation and Implementation of the SPS Agreement (the Sixth Review[1]) is comprised of two parts:

·_        Part A – Sixth Review discussions – containing, by key topics, information on Sixth Review proposals, related discussions and thematic sessions, as well as recommendations for further work. Part A also outlines previous Committee decisions, guidelines, and recommendations that Members were invited to review or update as part of the Sixth Review.

·_        Part B – Committee work during the review period – containing information regarding the Committee's main areas of work from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2024.[2]

The present addendum contains Part B of the report; Part A can be found in document _G/SPS/74. For ease of reference and where relevant, Part B links to recommendations from the Fifth Review and indicates where a recommendation has emerged from the Sixth Review on a given topic.

The list of SPS-related documents circulated in 2020-24 is available _here. Appendix A provides an overview of Committee thematic sessions and workshops in 2020–24, Appendix B contains an overview of Committee side events in 2020–24, and Appendix C provides information about SPS‑related disputes as of 31 December 2024.

More information on the Committee's activities can be found in the summary reports prepared by the Secretariat following each Committee meeting[3] as well as in the yearly reports prepared by the Chairperson of the Committee for consideration by the Council for Trade in Goods (CTG).[4]

Table of contents

1   Monitoring the use of international standards (Articles 3.5 and 12.4). 4

1.1   New Zealand's Proposals regarding the Procedure to Monitor the Process of International Harmonization. 4

1.2   Thematic Session on the Procedure to Monitor the Process of International Harmonization. 6

1.3   Codex, WOAH and IPPC Observatory Projects. 6

2   Equivalence (Article 4). 6

3   Risk analysis (Article 5). 7

4   Consistency (Article 5.5). 9

5   Regionalization (Article 6). 10

5.1   African Swine Fever (ASF) 12

5.2   Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) 13

6   Transparency (Article 7 and Annex B). 14

6.1   Online Systems. 14

6.1.1   ePing SPS&TBT Platform.. 14

6.1.2   eAgenda. 15

6.1.3   Trade Concerns Database. 15

6.1.4   E-Delegate. 16

6.2   "Technical Revision" of Document G/SPS/7/Rev.5. 16

6.3   Update on the Implementation of Transparency Provisions. 16

7   Control, inspection and approval procedures (article 8 and annex c). 18

8   Technical Assistance and training activities (Article 9). 20

8.1   Information from Members. 20

8.2   WTO SPS Activities. 22

8.3   The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) 24

9   Special and differential treatment (Article 10). 26

10   Dispute Settlement (Article 11). 27

11   Specific trade concerns (STCs) (Articles 12.1-12.2). 29

12   AD HOC CONSULTATIONS (article 12.2). 32

13   Cooperation with Codex, WOAH, and the IPPC (Article 12.3). 32

14   MC12 SPS Declaration and related work programme. 33

15   Other Topics. 36

15.1   Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) 36

15.2   COVID-19 and SPS Issues. 37

15.3   Fall Armyworm.. 38

15.4   Improving the Functioning of the Committee. 39

15.5   Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for Plant Protection Products. 40

15.6   National SPS Coordination Mechanisms. 43

15.7   New Tools and Technologies. 43

15.8   Organizations with Observer Status. 45

15.8.1   Information from Observer Organizations. 45

15.8.2   New Requests for Observer Status. 45

15.8.3   Pending Requests. 46

15.9   SPS Celebrations: SPS@25 and SPS@30. 46

15.10   Voluntary Third-Party Assurance Schemes. 47

APPENDIX A – OVERVIEW OF COMMITTEE thematic sessions and workshops IN 2020–24. 48

APPENDIX B – OVERVIEW OF COMMITTEE side events IN 2020-24. 49

APPENDIX C – WTO Disputes Invoking the SPS Agreement. 51