Phytosanitary Measnres and Safe Trade
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Proceedings of the 7 th Internaiumai Worhng Conference on Stored-product Protection - Volume 2 Phytosanitary measnres and safe trade Robert L. Gnffm1 Abstract secunty. Trade of agricultural products across international It has long been recognized that protection from the boundanes is often essential to food security; especially introduction and spread of harmful new plant pests IS where shortages occur or greater vanety is required. The essential for food security. Likewise, m this era of globahzation, the facilitanon of trade has become equally ability to move commodities to distant markets helps balance global shortfalls and surpluses and offers needed diversity to Important to economic security As the movement of people and goods accelerates WIth the liberalization of trade, the diets. Likewise, the ability to Import and export m the phytosanitary measures used by governments to abate the introduction and spread of plant pests have come under mternational marketplace IS an Important element for the economic security of all nations. Trade m agncultural mcreasmg scrutiny for the protection they provide and also for their effect on trade. products IS especially Important to many developing The objectives of plant protection and free trade intersect countnes whose pnmary products are unprocessed under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) agricultural commodities. where the concept of 'safe trade' is addressed through the Globalization, and the rapidly accelerating hberahzation of global harmonization of phytosamtary measures The trade, has brought new opportunities for countries hoping to primary mechanism for reahzmg this IS the elaboration of strengthen therr economic SItuation WIth trade in international standards agncultural products. But, these countnes also need to Key concepts and pnncipals addressed m international protect their natural and cultivated resources from the standards under the IPPC provide the baSIS for globally ravages of new pest introductions harmonized phytosarutary measures. By participating m The nght and need to Impose phytosanitary measures for standard-setting processes and observing internationally the exclusion of harmful plant pests is recognized and agreed standards, governments are better able to achieve an strongly supported by all countries. However, this is appropnate level of protection while reducing the hkelihood balanced by the need to ensure that exclusion policies are of trade challenges. The emphasis m standards on feasibility justified and the right to challenge those that are deemed and technical soundness ensures that the same principles and unfair. In instances where free trade policies colhde with procedures are beneficial where trade IS not the pnmary excessively restrictive phytosarutary measures, the concern. opportunities for improving either food security or econormc security become pohcy-hnuted. By carefully balancing free trade With legitnnate plant protection measures, countnes are able to reahze maximum benefit m their efforts toward both protection and the facilitation of trade. In this context, Introduction facihtatmg trade and protecting plant health should not be seen as confhcting concepts, but rather as a single objective- One does not often encounter the terms 'Food security' and 'safe trade' . 'Econonuc security' in the same context Although both are undeniably desirable alms for all nations, indeed for the Food Security world, they are charactenzed by very different types of interest, influence, and practice. But these Ideals also The case for food secunty begins WIth the realization that overlap; particularly where trade in agncultural commodIties there are currently about 800 million chronically IS concerned. It IS in thIS area where the concept of 'safe undernounshed people m the world today. The World Food trade' emerges as key to maxlmlzmg the potential for SummIt, convened by FAO m November 1996, urgently countries to achieve both food securIty and economIC called for coordinated worldwide action to ensure' Food for All' . 1 Coordmator, Secretarmt of the InternatIonal Plant Protectlon One element of strategIes to achIeve food seCurIty IS Conventlon, FAO-AGPP, Vlale delle Terme dl Caracalla, 00100, mcreased agrIcultural production. ThIS may be achIeved by Rome, Italy mcreasmg the area under production, Improving cultural 1745 Proceedings of the 7th Internatwnal Working Conference on Stored-product Protection - Volume 2 conditions and bettenng vaneties, but more importantly for new areas. This raises significant concerns m policy this discussion, by reducing losses to pests. Equally formulation, especially as measures for protection are likely important is the sustamabihty of systems that help achieve to affect the free movement of commodities m trade. this without undue disadvantage to others or unacceptable On the one hand, countries need to be able to import to damage to the environment. meet their needs and market demands, and they have the FAD has estimated that up to one third of the global reciprocal need to have their exports accepted by others. On production of food and fiber is lost due to pests such as the other hand, countnes must exercise a certain amount of insects, mites, fungi, bactena, Viruses, weeds, and care to ensure that they do not unduly jeopardize their own nematodes. An additional portion of the production is resources by mtroducmg harmful new pests. This must be reduced m value due to quahty and other concerns resultmg considered against the corresponding need to ensure that from pest damage or the results of efforts to control pests they do not ship harmful pests to other countries. Less quantifiable, but equally important, are the lost Consequently, there emerges a strong requirement for opportumues for trade as a result of restrictions agamst balanced, dynamic, mulu-disciphnary approaches to policies pests that cannot be adequately managed to meet import concerned With pest management, for both domestic and requirements. foreign pest concerns. These approaches are mcreasmgly based on international cooperation, sophisticated Economic Security technologies, and the marnage of economic and biological analyses. Where economic security is concerned, one need not look far We are today expenencmg this transition in practice based to see a world of growing economic mtegration and widenmg on more hohstic global view This is evidenced by the circles of development. As the World Trade Organization expanding interest and actrvity around technically sound, celebrates the 50th anniversary of the rules-based trading mternationally agreed approaches to phytosarutary pohcy system which began with the GATT after World War II, it is making m place of piecemeal bilateral agreements. The clear that globalization and the liberahzation of trade have evidence mdicates that this shift Will bring Significant become permanent fixtures in international pohcy benefits to the mcreased cooperation and trade. It also formulation and are mtegral to the economic security of all encourages more sustainable, consistent, and nations, Now, more than ever before, the world's environmentally acceptable policies. There is strong concern prosperity rests on mamtammg an open mternational that as tanffs and other barners are removed, countries may economy based on commonly agreed rules. impose measures under the guise of protection in order to The significance of agnculture m tlus mternational secure market or other unfair advantages It is the nature of economy is quickly evident as we see enormous quantities of quarantme to follow the old adage, 'an ounce of prevention fresh and processed agricultural commodities racmg across 1S better than a pound of cure' There is a common borders and seas to markets m the far corners of the globe perception that it is comparatively cheaper and easier to where the availability of such products had been prevent the entry of pests With strongly restnctrve measures inconceivable only two decades before. For every country in than it is to be faced Witha new pest mtroduction. But while the world, the import and export of agricultural products is a certam degree of care is clearly justified, unreasonably essential to the health of the economy as well as the conservative pohcies are seen to unnecessarily restrict population. Non-industnalized countries m particular rely trade. The results of such unfair practice can have dire upon agriculture as a cornerstone for commerce Industrial economic consequences as tradmg partners react With countries rely upon trade m agricultural products to provide challenges and possible retaliation As globalization and the quantity, quahty and vanety of goods demanded by liberalization of trade have matured, and international trade modern consumers. m agncultural products has grown in importance, it has become necessary for 'free trade' and 'farr trade' to evolve Trade and Protection still further to embrace the concept of 'safe trade'. That is to say that disClplmesare necessary to ensure that protechve Mankmd has been concerned With the mtroduchon and measures are used to the extent justified by legihmate spread of harmful plant pests throughout recorded history, concerns, but not as unjushfied barners to trade. but regulatory programs for exclUSiOnare a relahvely recent development, first emergmg Wlth the mdustrial age m the The SPS Agreement last century In the dawnmg age of globahzahon, more trade, faster trade, and the openmg of new markets for ThiS bnngs the diSCUSSionto the last