U.S. import alert among topics at WTO meeting

China’s concerns about a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) import alert was one of six new issues discussed at a recent World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting.

Delegates at the June meeting of the WTO Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures addressed trade concerns related to food safety and animal and plant health.

Members discussed 53 specific trade concerns, including six for the first time. Topics were animal diseases, delays in authorization processes, melamine contamination, and maximum residue limits (MRLs) in food products.

Concerns about the European Union’s measures on pesticide residues, contaminants, endocrine disruptors, and veterinary medicinal products were also mentioned.

China raised the U.S. FDA import alert 99-30 regarding the detention of milk products and melamine testing. Due to consultations, China had withdrawn this trade concern at a March committee meeting.

The European Union addressed Colombia’s import restrictions due to African swine fever. While India, Paraguay, and Colombia were unhappy about the EU’s non-renewal of the active substance thiacloprid. Another new issue was Chinese Taipei’s import restrictions for food products.

Past topics

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), African swine fever (ASF), and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) continued to gain attention. Saudi Arabia lifted remaining bans on EU imports imposed on the grounds of BSE.

Russian representatives spoke again about European delays in renewing authorizations for fishery firms and fish products and South African delays in granting access for poultry, beef, pork, fish, and seafood.

Officials from Chile were unhappy about the United States’ undue delays in publishing import requirements for table grapes, while Argentina and Brazil raised U.S. delays in authorizing sweet citrus fruits.  

Japanese officials discussed why China, Hong Kong, and Russia should remove imported restrictions on some products after the release of water treated through the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) at Fukushima.

For the fifth time, Canada expressed frustration at China’s prohibition of Canadian beef imports following a case of atypical BSE in 2021.

The next SPS Committee meeting is scheduled for Nov. 11 to 15, 2024. It will include events and thematic sessions on emerging risks, modern challenges, and Codex guidelines for voluntary third-party assurance programs.

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