. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/L/411
13 November 2000
(00-4801)
REPORT (2000) ON TH E ACTIVITIES OF THE
COMMITTEE ON SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES
The present report is being circulated by the Chairman of the Committee on Sanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures on his own responsibility.  This report provides a summary of the activities
and decisions of the Committee during 2000.
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1. The Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the "SPS Committee") held three
meetings in 2000:  on 15-16 March, 21-22 June and 8-9 November.1   At the June meeting,
Mr. S.I.M. Nayyar (Pakistan) was appointed Chairman for the period 2000/01.
2. At the June meeting, the SPS Committee adopted guidelines to further the practical
implementation of Article 5.5 of the Agreement (G/SPS/15).  These guidelines are designed to assist
national regulatory officials to avoid arbitrary or unjustifiable distinctions in the level of health riskthey determine to be appropriate in different situations, if these differences result in discrimination or
a disguised restriction on trade.  The SPS Committee agreed to review the guidelines periodically and
revise them as necessary.  The first review should take place by mid-July 2003.
3. At its regular meetings, the SPS Committee considered a number of specific trade concerns,
including several related to individual notifications. The issues discussed included, inter alia ,
measures related to dioxin;  restrictions on tropical fresh fruits;  measures affecting trade in live cattle,
beef meat and bovine semen;  and measures affecting canned tuna, citrus, gelatin and milled rice.
4. Members informed the SPS Committee about the recognition of disease-free areas and the use
of international standards.  The Secretariat circulated updated lists of National Enquiry Points and
National Notification Authorities.
2
5. The SPS Committee continued its discussion on the SPS Agreement and developing
countries.  At the March meeting, the SPS Committee agreed to focus its discussions first on theimplementation of the special and differential treatment provisions.  The Secretariat prepared a paper
summarizing discussions to date on the provisions for special and differential treatment.
3  T h e
observer from the World Bank provided information regarding development challenges in standards
and agricultural trade, and the Bank's work in the area.4  Implementation of the equivalence provision
(Article 4) was also specifically examined at the November meeting, both in the context of theCommittee's agenda item on developing country concerns and in response to the remit from the
General Council to examine how to facilitate use of the provision by developing countries.  A separate
                                                     
1 The report of the March meeting is contained in G/SPS/R/18, and that of the June meeting in
G/SPS/R/19.  The report of the November meeting will be circulated as G/SPS/R/20.
2 G/SPS/ENQ/11,  G/SPS/NNA/1 and  G/SPS/GEN/27/Rev.7.
3 G/SPS/W/105.
4 G/SPS/GEN/195.G/L/411
Page 2
report on this issue will be provided to the Special Session of the General Council to be held on
14-15 December 2000.
6. The SPS Committee continued to monitor the use of international standards, following the
provisional procedure it adopted in October 1997.5  No new examples were identified of what
Members considered to be problems with signific ant trade impact related to the use or non-use of
relevant international standards, guidelines or recommendations.  The second annual report of the
monitoring procedure, adopted in October 2000 by the Committee, identified further actions
undertaken by the relevant standard-setting organizations with regard to issues which had previously
been raised by Members.6
7. Technical assistance needs and activities were considered at each regular meeting of the SPS
Committee.  Members, the Secretariat and the observer inter-governmental organizations reported on
their technical assistance activities.  Members were provided the opportunity to identify specific needs
for technical assistance.  The Secretariat circulated a questionnaire seeking information on technical
assistance needs and activities, and the various responses received.7  A t  t h e  r e q u e s t  o f  t h e  S P S
Committee, the Secretariat prepared a typology of  technical assistance needs relevant to the
implementation of the SPS Agreement, to serve as the basis for discussions on how to ensure that
technical assistance was being provided in the most effective way possible.8
8. At the March meeting, the SPS Committee agreed to grant ad hoc observer status, on a
meeting-by-meeting basis, to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the Latin American
Economic System (SELA), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the
Regional International Agricultural Health Orga nization (OIRSA), the ACP Group and the OECD.
The SPS Committee continued consideration of the requests for observer status from the Officeinternational de la vigne et du vin (OIV) a nd the Asian Pacific Coconut Community (APCC).
9. The SPS Committee continued to maintain close working relationships with the IPPC, the
OIE and Codex.  In June, the SPS Committee held an informal meeting with the secretariat of the
WHO to discuss the on-going revision of the International Health Regulations.
10. Immediately preceding the June meeting of the SPS Committee, the Secretariat organized a
workshop on the SPS Agreement and risk analysis.
9  The US Department of Agriculture provided
funds to cover the costs of participation for officials from some least-developed countries in both the
workshop and the regular SPS Committee meeting.  A substantial number of participants from both
developing and developed countries participated in the workshop, and subsequently in the regular
meeting of the SPS Committee.
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5 G/SPS/11.
6 G/SPS/16.
7 G/SPS/W/101, G/SPS/GEN/143/Rev.1 and Add.1, and G/SPS/GEN/181.
8 G/SPS/GEN/206.
9 G/SPS/GEN/209 and G/SPS/INF/13.