WORLD TRADE G/SPS/GEN/68
18March 1998
ORGANIZATION(98-1086)
Original: French Committee onSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures
MEASURES INRESPONSE TOCHOLERA (G/SPS/GEN/53)
Statement bytheEuropean Community attheMeeting on12and13March 1998
1. TheEuropean Community hastaken precautionary action withrespect toimports ofcertain
foodstuffs from Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda andTanzania, owing tothecurrent cholera epidemic
inthose fourcountries.
2. Indeciding onitsposition theEuropean Community wasguided bythedocument "WHO
Guidance onFormulation ofNational Policy ontheControl ofCholera", andinparticular Chapter IX
thereof, "Cholera andInternational Trade inFood". Thatchapter clearly states thatfishery products
harvested orcaught incholera-affected areas canbecontaminated. Thesame applies tovegetables
andfruitgrowing neartotheground, when transport timeislessthantendays. Thechapter ends
withthefollowing sentence "Vibrio cholerae 01maysurvive infrozen foods forlonger periods. Such
foods posearisktotheconsumer iftheyareeaten raworareallowed tocontaminate other foods".
3. Inthese twocases, where WHO hasidentified apotential consumer risk,therecommendation
isnottobanimports ofsuchproducts butfortheexporting country andtheimporting country toreach
agreement ontheapplication ofprecautionary measures orspecific requirements. TheEuropean
Community hasalways given preference tothisapproach, which consists inshifting theresponsibility
fortheapplication ofgood hygienic practices asdefined bytheCodex Alimentarius tothecompetent
authorities oftheexporting country.
4. Inthepresent case,theCommission sentanexpert mission tothecountries inorder toevaluate
thecapacity ofthecompetent authorities toapply these goodhygienic practices fortheharvesting and
production offishery products. Themission found thatsubstantial progress hadtobemade bythe
competent authorities andthatitwastherefore notyetpossible toreach anagreement withtheimporting
countries asrecommended byWHO.
5. Pending suchimprovements, theCommission proposed tothemember States thattheproducts
concerned besubjected toimport controls inorder toverify bysampling theabsence ofVibrio cholerae
contamination. Hence, thisisnotanembargo butatime-limited measure tocontrol thehealthiness
ofimported foods, within theresponsibility ofthemember States, andinconformity withour
international obligations under theWTO andinparticular theSPSAgreement.
6. Withregard tofreshfishery products, thetechnical impossibility ofcarrying outthenecessary
microbiological testssufficiently rapidly inorder toavoid theirdecomposition didindeed leadthe
Commission topropose thetemporary suspension ofimports. TheCommission strongly encourages
theexperts todevelop arapid testmethod. Inaddition, thecompetent national authorities ofthe
exporting countries haveundertaken toprovide guarantees oftheapplication ofgoodhygienic practices
andmake good theshortcomings found bytheEuropean Community 'sexpert mission, inparticular
withrespect tothequality ofwater usedinfoodproduction. Once theseguarantees havebeenreceived
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theCommission willpropose tothemember States aneasing oftheroutine control measures withrespect
totheimport offishery products.
7. Inconclusion, theEuropean Community considers thatithasnotinanywaycontravened the
WHO recommendations withregard totheprotection ofitsconsumers inconnection withtheriskfrom
contamination ofcertain foodstuffs byVibrio cholerae .Inaddition, theCommission 'sservices are
preparing adocument toestablish auniform policy onimports offoodstuffs from cholera-affected
countries, based onariskanalysis approach.
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