MRL Policy Team outreach at the World Trade Organization (WTO)

IGTC conducted an outreach mission at WTO last week, holding bilateral meetings with government delegations from Canada, Ukraine, Brazil, Australia, Thailand and Uganda. The aim of the meetings was to communicate the IGTC’s newly revised MRL policy document (here) and gather information about the following WTO MRL matters:

• Status of MRL discussions at the WTO SPS Committee, including ongoing “Specific Trade Concerns” (STCs)
• Likelihood of MRL issues making it to the next WTO Ministerial (“MC12”) in Astana, Kazakhstan, June 2020
• The hot topic of “WTO reform” and how this will impact the functioning of the SPS Committee
• Implementation of outcomes of the WTO Missing MRL workshop of February 2018
• Legacy of the December 2017 joint Ministerial statement (IGTC article here)

The IGTC delegation (pictured) consisted of Gord Kurbis (Vice President, Canada Grains Council) June Arnold (Head of Policy, Gafta - the Grain and Feed Trade Association), and Katy Lee (IGTC Secretariat). A full report of the meetings will be circulated to the IGTC’s MRL Policy Team.

Innovation and Codex standards under the spotlight at food safety conference

There was a call for renewed international cooperation on global standards to protect consumer health and avoid unnecessary trade barriers at last week’s International Forum on Food Safety in Geneva. The Forum’s opening ceremony included a unique joint appearance from the Directors General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Importantly for the IGTC, there was an emphasis on harmonized food safety regulations, with a specific focus on the capacity of Codex Alimentarius and the WTO SPS Agreement to respond to adapt to “novel challenges” whilst at the same time continuing to respond to more traditional food safety hazards such as resistance to antimicrobial agents, foodborne and zoonotic diseases, chemical hazards and contaminants, and naturally occurring toxins in plants, soil and water.

Regarding “novel challenges”, sufficient and sustainable funding for Codex scientific advice was highlighted, as well as the ability to ensure robust implementation of Codex standards across both high-income and low-income countries. Examples of “novel challenges” cited:

• The need to drive innovation
• Laboratory grown meat
• 3D printed food
• Gene editing
• New tools for diagnosis, surveillance and investigation
• Digitalization 

Panel sessions were mainly led by intergovernmental organizations, governments (African Union, Albania, Australia, Canada, European Union, Indonesia, USA, Singapore) and academia. 

Agriculture Ministers prepare for 11-12 May G20 meeting

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