G/SPS/GEN/1868  
 
24 November  2020 
(20-8488) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
 
FARM TO FORK STRATEGY  
SUBMISSION  BY THE EUROPEAN UNION  
The following document , received on 20 November  2020, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of the European Union . 
 
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1.  The European Union would like to thank Colombia for this request for information on the Farm to 
Fork Strategy (also raised in the WTO Committee on Agriculture in July 20201). 
2.  As the European Union already informed at the last SPS Committee meeting, the objective of the 
Farm to Fork Strat egy, adopted on 20 May 2020, is the transition to a sustainable EU food system 
that safeguards food security and safety, ensures access to healthy and sustainable diets sourced 
from a healthy planet and ensures the livelihood of all actors in the food syst em. 
3.  Food security and food safety are cornerstones of EU food system, and will never be 
compromised.  
4.  By adopting this Strategy, the European Union has responded to the climate and environmental 
emergency the world is facing, to citizens' demands, but also to developments and collaborative 
actions at global level that are already taking place to preserve biodiversity and strengthen 
sustainable practices. The European Union has joined forces in these efforts with other countries 
that have also committed to un dertake urgent action to put our planet on a recovery path.  
5.  The document is a Strategy, which means that it has no legal effect. By adopting the Strategy, 
the European Commission has set out its own policy direction on how it intends to act in the coming 
years on this topic. The Strategy envisages a mix of regulatory and non -regulatory measures. 
These  measures will be taken forward in line with the consolidated traditional better regulation 
principles, including evaluations, public consultations and impact assessments as appropriate and, 
last but not least, in regular consultation with the WTO Members in accordance to the rules set by 
the SPS agreement for which this Committee is the relevant forum.  
6.  Regarding the EU policy orientation related to pesticides – in reply to the questions of Colombia 
– we must not ignore broad consensus that the use of certain pesticides is linked to serious 
environmental concerns, such as the worldwide decline of pollinators or effects related to persistent, 
bioaccumu lative and toxic substances. These effects do not stop at national borders and this fact 
must be considered when defining an appropriate level of protection. In other words, where serious 
environmental concerns of global nature prevail, national use restri ctions may not be sufficient to 
achieve necessary protection goals and the setting of import tolerances may have to take this 
situation into account.  
7.  For example, EU risk assessments identified serious environmental concerns of a global nature 
with regard to clothianidin and thiamethoxam, which both belong to the group of neonicotinoids.  
 
1 Please note that a previous document on this topic was circulated as G/SPS/GEN /1797 , on 22 June  
2020.  G/SPS/GEN/1868  
 
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  8.   The European Union will take any regulatory decision on a case -by-case basis, founded on the 
best available scientific evidence and ensuring that its measures are not more  trade restrictive than 
necessary to achieve the protection goal. The European Union is committed to continue to fulfil its 
international obligations and to act according to the WTO rules, with full transparency.  
9.  It is important to note that the EU strateg y does not attempt to prohibit other countries from 
using certain pesticides on their crop. If the crop is destined to be placed on the EU market, it is our 
intention to insist that it complies with the maximum residue levels that are in place in the Europ ean 
Union.  
10.  The European Union is already engaging actively with trading partners, especially with 
developing countries, to accompany the planned transition towards a more sustainable food 
production and to promote alternative plant protection methods, incl uding integrated pest 
management. Agriculture and food production are highly dependent on nature. Sustainability is 
therefore in the best interest of farmers and in the best interest of us all.  
11.  The European Union strives to provide its partners with timely  and comprehensive information 
on its policies.  
12.  With regard to the Farm to Fork Strategy, in September 2020, the European Union organised 
an information session at which Columbian and many other Delegations participated. In October, 
the European Union also  held – virtually – the first Farm to Fork conference.  
13.  A more specific seminar on pesticides residues is currently envisaged to take place in early 
2021.  
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