Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures are measures aimed at the protection of human, animal and plant life and health within specified territories from the risks associated with the introduction and spread of pests and diseases through trade. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) developed an agreement on the application of SPS measures. South Africa is a member of both the WTO and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). In SADC, SPS measures are provided for in the SADC Sanitary and Phytosanitary Annexure to the Protocol on Trade of 1996. International Standard Setting Bodies (ISSBs) facilitate the effective application of the main elements of the relevant SPS agreements, especially harmonization and equivalence by establishing scientifically justified standards on which members may base their SPS measures. The relevant ISSB’s in terms of SPS measures are the OIE, IPPC and Codex Alimentarius. SPS measures have the potential to become or be used as non-tariff barriers to trade (NTBs). The SADC Protocol on Trade 1996 stipulates that policies and measures are to be implemented by members to eliminate existing forms of NTBs. Additionally members may not enforce new NTBs affecting or related to intra-SADC trade. The most relevant South African legislation in the context of SPS measures and this study is as follows: Agricultural Pests Act 36 of 1983, the Agricultural Products Act 119 of 1990; the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act 36 of 1947, the Liquor Products Act 60 of 1989, Meat Safety Act 40 of 2000, Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act 54 of 1972, Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 and National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications Act 5 of 2008. The purpose of this study is to establish to what extent the South African legal framework complies with its obligations in terms of the SADC SPS Annexure to the Protocol on Trade / LLM (Import and Export Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures are measures aimed at the protection of human, animal and plant life and health within specified territories from the risks associated with the introduction and spread of pests and diseases through trade. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) developed an agreement on the application of SPS measures. South Africa is a member of both the WTO and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). In SADC, SPS measures are provided for in the SADC Sanitary and Phytosanitary Annexure to the Protocol on Trade of 1996. International Standard Setting Bodies (ISSBs) facilitate the effective application of the main elements of the relevant SPS agreements, especially harmonization and equivalence by establishing scientifically justified standards on which members may base their SPS measures. The relevant ISSB’s in terms of SPS measures are the OIE, IPPC and Codex Alimentarius. SPS measures have the potential to become or be used as non-tariff barriers to trade (NTBs). The SADC Protocol on Trade 1996 stipulates that policies and measures are to be implemented by members to eliminate existing forms of NTBs. Additionally members may not enforce new NTBs affecting or related to intra-SADC trade. The most relevant South African legislation in the context of SPS measures and this study is as follows: Agricultural Pests Act 36 of 1983, the Agricultural Products Act 119 of 1990; the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act 36 of 1947, the Liquor Products Act 60 of 1989, Meat Safety Act 40 of 2000, Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act 54 of 1972, Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 and National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications Act 5 of 2008. The purpose of this study is to establish to what extent the South African legal framework complies with its obligations in terms of the SADC SPS Annexure to the Protocol on Trade / LLM (Import and Export Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This dissertation explores technical regulations (sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, technical barriers to trade, and geographical indications) in Central American agricultural and food trade. In the first part, a framework to systematically evaluate the broad issues for developing countries is presented. Evaluation of the issues for Central America is based on interviews with about 100 persons in the region and in the United States (US), and on secondary sources. The topic is of significance in Central America, especially when related to SPS measures. The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreements have had relatively little direct impact in improving Central America's response to technical regulations, while homologous Central American regional institutions may have been more successful, with indirect support from the WTO and the US, in reducing the incidence of illegitimate regulations in intra-regional trade. Central America may implement illegitimate barriers more against others in the region than against the US. Although the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) may support Central America's capacity to meet more stringent technical regulations, the improvement may not be sufficiently perceptible. The potential for Central American greenhouse tomato exports to the US is analytically evaluated in the second part. These tomatoes may be admitted as the ban based on the risk of introduction of the Mediterranean fruit fly is partially lifted, due in part on discussions in the CAFTA negotiations. Mature green, vine-ripe and greenhouse tomatoes are heterogeneous in demand, and vine-ripe tomatoes are but greenhouse tomatoes are not heterogeneous by origin. A static partial equilibrium model is constructed for the US tomato market, where demand is based on multi-stage budgeting and supply is a function of own tomato price. When the Central American greenhouse excess supply function is introduced to the model, the region exports to the US, the aggregate greenhouse quantity increases, and its prices decrease. As greenhouse preference increases, greenhouse quantity and prices also increase. Changes are perceptible but small in the mature green and vine-ripe markets in the expected direction. Access by Central America is particularly beneficial when US consumer preferences shift further toward greenhouse over other tomatoes. / Ph. D.

This thesis estimates the impact of non-tariff measures (NTMs) notified by the importing countries on agricultural trade. The non-tariff measures constitute the technical measures notified under the SPS and TBT agreements and the non-technical measures to trade. Two approaches are used; the inventory approach and the econometric approach which makes use of the gravity model. The inventory results suggest that African countries face more restrictions on their exports than what they impose on their imports. Also, Uganda, Senegal and Mali are among the top twenty most affected importers. The empirical results suggest that the impact of the overall group on non-tariff measures is ambiguous but when measures are disaggregated into technical and non-technical measures, the results show that the technical measures promote agricultural trade and that the non-technical measures restrict trade. Also, imports of industrialized nations from fellow industrialized nations are promoted by the technical measures but are restricted by non-technical measures, while those from non-industrialized countries are affected negatively by both technical and non-technical measures. Out of the five regions considered, Africa faces the largest negative impact by both technical and non-technical measures. / Master of Science

WTO Agreements have failed to adequately cater for the needs of developing countries. The WTO Agreements, particularly the SPS Agreements has failed to take into account the special needs of developing and least developing countries and clearly their interests have received no representation in the Agreement. Instead of reducing the negative impact of the SPS measures, the Agreement itself has become a barrier to trade. The problems of its implementation inclusive of the expertise, the high costs of conformity, lack of infrastructure and adequate resources have created further restrictions for exporters in international commerce. The failure to adequately deal with the implementation problems of developing countries is evident in the stalemate that culminated at the Doha Ministerial Conference which has extended for over a decade. Perhaps the future of African developments lies in regional agreements, since it is clear that the multilateral trading system has failed. Whereas some scholars are of the view that Article 5.7 of the Agreement should be used as model for the precautionary principle. The principle is highly controversial and does not even have a universal definition; its application might prove to be highly problematic. However the trade-environment debate has already taken center stage in the WTO jurisprudence, suggesting possibly the emergence of an Agreement to that effect. One however can only wonder whether in including the trade-environment debate under the ambit of the WTO when clearly it has failed to deal with issues and concerns’ relating to trade only, might be biting much more than it can chew. / Thesis (LL.M.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Após a criação do Acordo Geral Sobre Pautas Aduaneiras e Comércio (GATT) em 1947, as barreiras não tarifárias passaram a ser o principal instrumento utilizado pelos países para a proteção do mercado nacional. Os países que buscavam a liberalização do comércio internacional passaram, então, a buscar soluções a fim de conter tais barreiras. Havia uma dificuldade em identificar quando uma medida que restringia o comércio internacional era uma proteção disfarçada ao comércio de quando ela perseguia fins legítimos como a proteção da saúde humana e animal. Com o advento da Organização Mundial do Comércio (OMC), alguns acordos anexos foram assinados que visavam diferenciar essas medidas e proteger a liberdade comercial alcançada nas rodadas do GATT. Entre esses acordos, entrou em vigor o Acordo sobre Barreiras Sanitárias e Fitossanitárias (SPS) que trata de medidas que visam proteger a vida e a saúde humana, animal e vegetal. Esse acordo, apesar de essencial para um país exportador de commodities como o Brasil, recebeu pouca atenção da academia jurídica brasileira. Buscando amenizar essa lacuna, o presente trabalho se propôs a aprofundar o estudo do acordo sob uma perspectiva jurídica. Assim, sua origem, seu escopo de aplicação, seus princípios e características, e sua aplicação no Sistema de Solução de Controvérsias (SSC) da OMC são explanados no primeiro capítulo dessa dissertação O Acordo SPS também estabeleceu a criação do Comitê sobre Barreiras Sanitárias e Fitossanitárias (Comitê SPS) que administra a aplicação e o debate dos temas relacionados ao acordo. E é sobre esse comitê que o segundo capítulo dessa pesquisa se debruça. O objetivo da dissertação é demonstrar e melhor compreender que, apesar do comitê possuir diversas funções, duas são de extrema relevância, a saber, seu papel como harmonizador internacional e como solucionador de conflitos. Na persecução desses objetivos, o comitê conta com diversos instrumentos como as notificações e as preocupações comerciais específicas (PCEs) que são estudadas e detalhadas no presente trabalho. Para desenvolver essa pesquisa, foram realizados levantamentos bibliográficos, documentais e jurisprudenciais junto à OMC e a outras instituições e, a partir dos dados coletados, foi aplicado o método hipotético-dedutivo. Os resultados vieram a comprovar e a limitar o escopo da natureza harmonizadora e solucionadora de conflitos do Comitê SPS, esclarecendo os meandros do trabalho diplomático no seio do comitê. Resta claro que o comitê é um ator essencial e ativo no comércio internacional. / After the creation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1947, the non-tariff barriers have become the main instrument used by countries to protect their national markets. Countries seeking liberalization of international trade began, then, to seek solutions in order to restrain such barriers. There was a difficulty in identifying when a measure that restricting the international trade was a disguised trade protection from when it pursued legitimate purposes such as the protection of the human and animal health and lives. With the advent of the World Trade Organization (WTO), some attachments agreements were signed in order to differentiate between these measures and to protect the free trade achieved in the GATT rounds. Among these agreements, entered into force the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Barriers (SPS) that deals with measures to protect human, animal and plant health and lives. This agreement, although essential to a commodities exporter such as Brazil, received little attention from the Brazilian legal academia. Seeking to mitigate this gap, this study aimed to further study the agreement in a legal perspective. Thus, its origin, its scope of application, its principles and features, and its application in the WTO Dispute Settlement System (SSC) are explained in the first chapter of this dissertation. The SPS Agreement also established the creation of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Barriers (SPS Committee) that manages the application and discussion of issues related to the agreement. Moreover, it is on this committee that the second chapter of this research focuses The purpose of this research is to demonstrate and to understand that, although the committee has several functions, two are of utmost importance, namely its role as international harmonizer and as conflict solver. In pursuing these objectives, the committee uses several instruments such as the notifications and the specific trade concerns (STCs) that are studied and detailed in this paper. To develop this research, bibliographical, documentary and jurisprudential surveys within the data of WTO and other institutions were conducted, and based on the data collected, it was applied the hypothetical-deductive method. The results came to prove and to define the scope of the SPS Committee as an international harmonizer and as a conflict solver, explaining the intricacies of diplomatic work within the committee. Therefore, it is clear that the committee is an essential and active player in international trade.

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Doctor Legum - LLD

Após a criação do Acordo Geral Sobre Pautas Aduaneiras e Comércio (GATT) em 1947, as barreiras não tarifárias passaram a ser o principal instrumento utilizado pelos países para a proteção do mercado nacional. Os países que buscavam a liberalização do comércio internacional passaram, então, a buscar soluções a fim de conter tais barreiras. Havia uma dificuldade em identificar quando uma medida que restringia o comércio internacional era uma proteção disfarçada ao comércio de quando ela perseguia fins legítimos como a proteção da saúde humana e animal. Com o advento da Organização Mundial do Comércio (OMC), alguns acordos anexos foram assinados que visavam diferenciar essas medidas e proteger a liberdade comercial alcançada nas rodadas do GATT. Entre esses acordos, entrou em vigor o Acordo sobre Barreiras Sanitárias e Fitossanitárias (SPS) que trata de medidas que visam proteger a vida e a saúde humana, animal e vegetal. Esse acordo, apesar de essencial para um país exportador de commodities como o Brasil, recebeu pouca atenção da academia jurídica brasileira. Buscando amenizar essa lacuna, o presente trabalho se propôs a aprofundar o estudo do acordo sob uma perspectiva jurídica. Assim, sua origem, seu escopo de aplicação, seus princípios e características, e sua aplicação no Sistema de Solução de Controvérsias (SSC) da OMC são explanados no primeiro capítulo dessa dissertação O Acordo SPS também estabeleceu a criação do Comitê sobre Barreiras Sanitárias e Fitossanitárias (Comitê SPS) que administra a aplicação e o debate dos temas relacionados ao acordo. E é sobre esse comitê que o segundo capítulo dessa pesquisa se debruça. O objetivo da dissertação é demonstrar e melhor compreender que, apesar do comitê possuir diversas funções, duas são de extrema relevância, a saber, seu papel como harmonizador internacional e como solucionador de conflitos. Na persecução desses objetivos, o comitê conta com diversos instrumentos como as notificações e as preocupações comerciais específicas (PCEs) que são estudadas e detalhadas no presente trabalho. Para desenvolver essa pesquisa, foram realizados levantamentos bibliográficos, documentais e jurisprudenciais junto à OMC e a outras instituições e, a partir dos dados coletados, foi aplicado o método hipotético-dedutivo. Os resultados vieram a comprovar e a limitar o escopo da natureza harmonizadora e solucionadora de conflitos do Comitê SPS, esclarecendo os meandros do trabalho diplomático no seio do comitê. Resta claro que o comitê é um ator essencial e ativo no comércio internacional. / After the creation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1947, the non-tariff barriers have become the main instrument used by countries to protect their national markets. Countries seeking liberalization of international trade began, then, to seek solutions in order to restrain such barriers. There was a difficulty in identifying when a measure that restricting the international trade was a disguised trade protection from when it pursued legitimate purposes such as the protection of the human and animal health and lives. With the advent of the World Trade Organization (WTO), some attachments agreements were signed in order to differentiate between these measures and to protect the free trade achieved in the GATT rounds. Among these agreements, entered into force the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Barriers (SPS) that deals with measures to protect human, animal and plant health and lives. This agreement, although essential to a commodities exporter such as Brazil, received little attention from the Brazilian legal academia. Seeking to mitigate this gap, this study aimed to further study the agreement in a legal perspective. Thus, its origin, its scope of application, its principles and features, and its application in the WTO Dispute Settlement System (SSC) are explained in the first chapter of this dissertation. The SPS Agreement also established the creation of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Barriers (SPS Committee) that manages the application and discussion of issues related to the agreement. Moreover, it is on this committee that the second chapter of this research focuses The purpose of this research is to demonstrate and to understand that, although the committee has several functions, two are of utmost importance, namely its role as international harmonizer and as conflict solver. In pursuing these objectives, the committee uses several instruments such as the notifications and the specific trade concerns (STCs) that are studied and detailed in this paper. To develop this research, bibliographical, documentary and jurisprudential surveys within the data of WTO and other institutions were conducted, and based on the data collected, it was applied the hypothetical-deductive method. The results came to prove and to define the scope of the SPS Committee as an international harmonizer and as a conflict solver, explaining the intricacies of diplomatic work within the committee. Therefore, it is clear that the committee is an essential and active player in international trade.