WTO SPS Committee Reviews
Progress in Resolving Trade Concerns; 63% of Issues Addressed Since 1995
Reported Resolved or Partially Resolved
The WTO's Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures met on
4-6 November, receiving an update on the resolution of past SPS-related trade
concerns raised by members, reviewing a list of new and previously raised trade
concerns, and advancing work on transparency, mentoring and technical
cooperation issues.
·
Resolution
of Trade Concerns: The WTO Secretariat reported that 55 specific trade concerns
(STCs) were resolved and 19 partially resolved in its 2026 review, based on
responses from 25 members.
·
Overall
Progress: Of 640 SPS-related trade concerns raised since 1995, 326 have been
resolved and 75 partially resolved, representing 63% of total concerns.
·
New
Trade Concerns: Members raised 78 STCs at the November 2026 meeting, including
five new concerns relating to pesticide residue limits in the EU, meat import
restrictions in Colombia and delays in Japanese approval of Paraguayan beef.
·
EU
Regulations: Concerns included EU maximum residue levels (MRLs) for certain
pesticides and copper compounds in preserved century eggs.
·
Transparency
Working Group: At its sixth meeting on 3 November, members discussed improving
notification details, access to supporting documents, information on deviations
from international standards and national coordination mechanisms.
·
SPS
Mentoring System: Launched in June 2025 and extended for another two years, the
programme promotes knowledge-sharing and peer
learning among government officials. A new group of six mentees will be matched
with mentors.
·
Hitchhiker
Pests: A thematic session organised by Australia and
Canada examined risks from pests unintentionally transported through traded
goods, packaging, containers and transport systems, along with prevention and
regulatory measures.
·
Transparency
in Testing: Members discussed making sampling, testing and analytical methods
used to determine SPS compliance more transparent and accessible to exporters
and importers.
·
Ukraine's
Market Access Success: Dialogue between Ukraine and Japan on the sidelines of
the SPS Committee helped restore Japanese market access for Ukrainian poultry
products following restrictions imposed due to avian influenza.
·
Technical
Cooperation: WTO-funded participants who attended the June Transparency
Workshop actively contributed to the Transparency Working Group, demonstrating
the value of technical assistance in strengthening member participation.
·
Next
Meeting: The next WTO Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures meeting
is tentatively scheduled for 3–5 March 2027.
[ABS News Service/12.11.2026]
The WTO Secretariat reported
on its 2026 exercise regarding the resolution of specific trade concerns (STCs)
raised in the SPS Committee. The Secretariat contacted 39 members to seek
information regarding the status of their STCs that had not been raised after
November 2024. Based on responses received from 25 members, 55 STCs are
considered as resolved while 19 others are considered partially resolved.
Overall, the Secretariat
noted that out of the 640 concerns discussed by members since 1995 - excluding
those new concerns raised at the current meeting - 326 have been reported as
resolved, while an additional 75 concerns have been reported as partially
resolved. This represents 63% of the total concerns addressed by the Committee
since 1995.
A document has
been circulated detailing the SPS concerns that have been reported as resolved
or partially resolved.
Members raised 78 STCs at
the November SPS Committee meeting. Five of the STCs were raised for the first
time while the remainder were previously raised issues.
The new STCs included
concerns related to maximum residue levels (MRLs) for certain pesticides in the
European Union; a new EU regulation on MRLs for copper compounds in preserved
century eggs; restrictions in Colombia on the import of meat and meat products
from Mexico; delays in Japan in approving market access for beef from Paraguay;
and Colombia's non-recognition of Chile as a country free from avian influenza
and its market restrictions on poultry meat from Chile.
A list of the STCs discussed
is available in the Trade
Concerns Database.
The SPS Transparency Working Group held its sixth meeting on 3 November. The working
group's mandate is to enhance the clarity and predictability of SPS measures by
keeping trading partners informed of SPS regulatory changes and allowing for
comments on draft regulations, among other things, to help avoid unnecessary
barriers to trade.
The sixth session addressed
four specific topics: the title and description of notified SPS measures,
including their likely effects on trade; facilitating access to supporting
documentation, including the use of PDFs, links and document access; improving
information regarding deviations from international standards; and national
coordination mechanisms and practical rules that can facilitate the application
of transparency requirements.
Chile, one of the
co-stewards of the Transparency Working Group, said the debates highlighted the
importance of focusing on viable solutions that are easy to use and which can
be of practical use.
The WTO Secretariat updated
members on the SPS
mentoring system, which was launched in June 2025 and
renewed for an additional two years at the last Committee meeting in June. The
mentoring system connects government officials in order to establish informal,
ad hoc supportive relationships for knowledge-sharing, peer learning and
engagement on SPS-related issues. A Secretariat official said the
feedback from mentors who participated in the pilot phase last year is that
this was a very rewarding experience. A new cohort of six mentees was selected
and they will be matched with mentors after 13 November based on expressions of
interest received.
Two thematic sessions took
place on 2-3 November. The first, proposed
by Australia and Canada, looked at the issue of hitchhiker
pests in international trade. A hitchhiker pest
refers to an organism that travels unintentionally on or in traded commodities,
packaging, conveyances or containers, posing the threat of significant economic
and environmental consequences when established in a new region. The
event brought together practical experience and expertise in managing pests
that can move unnoticed through international trade and addressed the risks and
impacts from such pests, domestic and regulatory responses, prevention through
supply chains and innovation, and international standards supporting action on
hitchhiker pests.
The event was moderated by
Kiyokazu Murai, Deputy Director for Animal and Plant
Products with Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, who
provided a brief oral report on the discussions. A detailed report will be
prepared by Mr Murai and circulated by the WTO
Secretariat in the coming weeks for members' comments.
The second thematic session
looked at promoting
transparency in sampling, testing, and analytic methods used to determine
compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures. Proposed by
Argentina, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, New Zealand and the United
States, the session addressed challenges members, exporters, and importers face
when sampling, testing, and analytic methods are not published or otherwise
readily available; best practices in transparent sampling, testing, and
analytic methods; and possible next steps for the SPS Committee.
The session was moderated by
Kim Meegan, Deputy Director with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, who
provided a brief oral report on the discussions. A detailed written
report of the discussions will be prepared by Ms Meegan and circulated by the
Secretariat for members' comments.
The Chair, Diego Franco of
Paraguay, emphasized the importance of in-person participation in the
Committee. In this regard, he highlighted the recent experience of Ukraine.
Thanks to the participation of a high-level delegation from Ukraine, the
country had been able to engage bilaterally with Japan to restore access for
its poultry products to the Japanese market following restrictions that had
been imposed in response to an outbreak of avian influenza. This outcome was
made possible through close cooperation and dialogue with the competent
authorities of Japan and highlighted the importance of the opportunities for
exchange provided by the SPS Committee. It is a concrete example of how
dialogue among members, both during Committee meetings and through bilateral
discussions held on their margins, can help overcome trade-related challenges
and find mutually satisfactory solutions, the Chair said.
The Secretariat drew
attention to another successful outcome: following their attendance of the
Committee's Transparency Workshop held in June, a number of WTO-funded
participants had become actively involved in the Transparency Working Group.
About half the participants volunteered to advance work on the topics under
discussion in the group, and three coordinated the work and presented its
outcomes at the most recent meeting of the Transparency Working Group. This
experience illustrates how technical assistance activities can lead to
sustained participation in SPS Committee work and help diversify the group of
members actively contributing to discussions, the Secretariat said.
The next meeting of the
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures is tentatively scheduled for
3-5 March 2027.