“What Brings us Together?” - IGTC at the annual OECD Forum with the B20 in Paris, France

The IGTC attended the OECD Forum in Paris this week to evaluate the opportunity for the grain trade to provide advice to governments on the impacts of policy decisions on commercial requirements and economics of the world's food, feed and processing industries. 

“What Brings us Together?” was the theme of the Forum, during which OECD Secretary General José Ángel Gurría Treviño and President Macron of France highlighted the need to increase trust in multilateral institutions and bolster their work in areas such as international trade flows, investment and the digital revolution. 

The IGTC’s fruitful participation at the event was made possible thanks to collaboration with “Business at OECD – BIAC”, the private sector liaison at OECD, as well as the B20 and its Argentine presidency, led by Daniel Funes de Rioja. A report from the meeting will be provided by the IGTC Secretariat at the in-person London Strategy Session on 18 June.

Have you reviewed the IGTC’s findings on MRLs?

The IGTC’s MRL survey results will be published soon and the deadline for the current round of comments is Friday 8 June. The draft results focus on: trade disruptions at origin and destination; the actions taken by the grain trade to manage risks; and sampling and testing.

MRL Policy Team members and Management Council have received the draft results document. Please contact the IGTC Secretariat if you would like to provide comments.

ePhyto progress – industry participation needed to support cost-benefit analysis

This week the governing body of the ePhyto Solution reiterated its support for IGTC and other trade flow representatives to help implement “industry case studies” to test the ePhyto Hub in its pilot phase.

The outcome of the industry case studies will be a more targeted assessment of the impact on trade flows of ePhyto. Crucially, industry insights will also support a more meaningful cost-benefit analysis of the Hub.

The IGTC has organised itself to establish grain trade focal points in key ePhyto countries as per the table below. These IGTC focal points provide liaison with the national and regional phytosanitary offices or “National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs)”. Please let the IGTC Secretariat know if you wish to be involved.

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