G/L/1376  
 
19 November 20 20 
(20-8322) Page: 1/4 
   
 
 
REPORT (20 20) ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON  
SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES  
1.1.  The present report is being circulated by the Chairperson of the Committee on Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Committee) on his own responsibility. This report provides a summary 
of the activities  of the SPS Committee during 20 20. 
1.2.  The SPS Committe e held two regular meetings in 2020: a meeting on 25-26 June  and a meeting 
on 5-6 and 13 November 20 20.1 In light of the COVID -19 situation, the meetings were held in person 
and via the virtual platform Interprefy , allowing for broad participation from Ge neva-based and 
capital-based delegates .2 The June 2020 meeting also included a written procedure, due to the 
shorter time available for the meeting as a result of the pandemic.3 For these two meetings, t he SPS 
Committee made use of a new online tool, eAgenda , which allows Members to submit agenda items, 
statements, and specific trade concerns (STCs)  online .4 In addition, the SPS Committee held 
subsequent discussions on  the procedure and format used in th e June 2020 SPS Committee meeting 
with a view to determining what aspects should continue to be used in future SPS Committee 
meetings.  
1.3.  Mr Daniel Arboleda (Colombia)  had been elected in July 2019 as Chairperson for 201 9-2020. 
Mr Gregory MacDonald (Canada) w as elected as Chairperson for 20 20-2021. 
1.4.  At its meeting of 25 -26 June, t he SPS Committee adopted the Report  on the Fifth Review of 
the SPS Agreement  (Fifth Review  Report ).5 This concluded a process that had been  launched in 
March 2018  and had given rise to 22 proposals submitted by 29  Members, covering ten different 
topics.6 The Fifth Review Report contains  information on areas identified for further work by the 
SPS Committee, including recommendations on the  following topics: (i)  appropriate level of 
protection, risk assessment and science; (ii)  control, inspection and approval procedures; 
(iii) equivalence; (iv)  fall armyworm; (v)  national SPS coordination mechanisms; (vi)  notification 
procedures and transparency; (vii)  Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) for plant protection products; 
(viii) regionalization; (ix)  role of Codex, OIE and IPPC in addressing STCs; and (x)  voluntary 
third-party assurance schemes.7 Members showed high levels of constructive engagement and great 
flexibility to reach consensus  on the final set of recommendations . 
1.5.  Further to the adoption of the Fifth Review  Report , a Working Group on Approval Procedure s 
was set up to discuss : (i) key challenges of approval procedures that impact international trade, 
which Members should seek to address; (ii)  principles of approval procedures that facilitate 
international trade while meeting the importing Member's appropriate level of sanitary or 
 
1 A first SPS Committee meeting initially scheduled to take place on 19 -20 March 2020 was cancelled 
due to the COVID -19 pandemic.  
2 At the SPS Committee meeting of November 2020, in -person attendance was restricted to 
five individuals in line with recommend ations issued by the Canton of Geneva and delegates were invited to 
join the meeting virtually.  
3 See the procedure outlined in JOB/SPS/7 , and the annotated agenda for the June 2020 
SPS Committee meeting in JOB/SPS/8  (and JOB/SPS/8/Add.1 ). The written procedure was under taken via  the 
eAgenda platform, which facilitated an exchange of statements on STCs and other agenda items.  
4 Members shared positive feedback on the use of eAgenda.  
5 G/SPS/64  and G/SPS/64/Add.1 . 
6 The Fifth Review Report also contains information on the discussions that took place in the 
SPS Committee and thematic sessi ons and a list of the topics and proposals submitted under the Fifth Review. 
A summary of all submitted proposals and papers is also included in the  Fifth Review Report as well as in 
document G/SPS/GEN/1625/Rev .6. 
7 G/SPS/64  and G/SPS/64/Add.1 . G/L/1376  
 
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  phytosanitary protection;  (iii) available tools and best practices to enhance the implementation of 
the obligations of the SPS Agreement as they apply to approval procedures; and (iv)  possible future 
work of the SPS Committee on this topic.8 The Working Group on Approval Procedures is led by 
Canada and Par aguay as co -stewards and it registered 25 participants. The Working Group on 
Approval Procedures held its first meeting in November 2020  and reported on its activities to the 
SPS Committee  at its November meeting . 
1.6.  At both regular meetings  held in 2020 , the SPS Committee discussed an SPS Declaration for 
the 12th Ministerial Conference, initially submitted by Brazil, Canada and the United States, and now 
co-sponsored by 21 Members.9 The purpose of this declaration is, via a proposed work programme, 
to address issues that are currently impacting trade in agricultur e, including population pressure, 
technological innovation, climate change, the importance of sustainable agriculture, new pests and 
diseases, and continued application of SPS measures as disguised trade restrictions. Overall, 
Members welcomed this SPS Declaration , highlighting that the 12th Ministerial Conference  is a good 
opportunity to recognize the importance of the SPS Agreement.  An informal meeting was scheduled 
on 23 November 2020 for Members to exchange further on this declaration.  
1.7.  The SPS Committe e also discussed a revised proposal on strengthening the consultative 
function of the SPS Committee,  submitted by Brazil following exchanges with Members in 
2019-2020.10 The proposal seeks to improve the consultation process among Members to make 
better us e of the SPS Committee's meetings and increase the likelihood of resolving concerns within 
the SPS  Committee. Suggestions were made for the proposal to be further updated to reflect 
changes in procedures and tools that ha ve already been implemented. Other  Members highlighted 
their preference for flexibility in procedures, without the need for a rigid decision.  
1.8.  Throughout the year, Members provided the SPS Committee with information regarding their 
status with respect to specific plant pests and animal diseases.  This information  that concerns the 
principle of regionalization  is compiled in the Annual Report on the Implementation of Article  6, 
which the SPS Committee considered at its June meeting .11 At each meeting, Members also provided 
information rega rding changes in their SPS policies and situations.  
1.9.  Members  also share d information on SPS issues pertaining to the COVID -19 pandemic at the 
SPS Committee  meetings and at  an informal information -sharing session in June 2020.12 At this 
information -sharing s ession , Members stressed the importance of providing a coordinated response 
to global crises and ensuring that trade in agricultural and food products is not unduly restricted. 
Trade facilitating  measures were commended , in particular the  increased use of electronic 
certification.  
1.10.   The SPS Committee considered a wide range of STCs. Members raised 36 new STCs in 2020. 
These included, among others:  pesticide -related policies; COVID -19 related restrictions on 
agricultural products ; import rest rictions on meat and dairy products; HPAI -related restrictions; and 
phytosanitary restrictions on grains, fresh vegetables and fruits . Many previously raised STCs 
continued to be discussed during 2020. Several Members intervened on issues such as  measures 
regarding pesticides (including legislation on endocrine disruptors) ; restrictions on animal products, 
many due to animal diseases including avian influenza and African swine fever (several different 
STCs); and phytosanitary restrictions on grains and fres h fruits . Following an exercise conducted by 
the Secretariat in September 2020 enquiring about the status of certain STCs,  35 STCs were 
reported as resolved  and 42  STCs were reported as partially resolved .13 Information on STCs is 
compiled on an annual bas is.14 
 
8 G/SPS/64  and G/SPS/W/328/Rev.1 . 
9 G/SPS/GEN/1758/Rev.4 , reflecting sponsorship by 20 Members. Mexico joined as a co -sponsor d uring 
the SPS Committee meeting of November 2020, after circulation of this document.   
10 G/SPS/W/319/Rev.2 . 
11 G/SPS/GEN/1777 . 
12 https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/sps_e/sps_covid_session_24620_e.htm . 
13 RD/SPS/114 . 
14 G/SPS/GEN/204/Rev.20 . G/L/1376  
 
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  1.11.   The Secretariat also issued prior to the SPS Committee's November meeting, the Annual 
Report on the Use of the Procedure to Encourage and Facilitate the Resolution of Specific SPS Issues 
(to date, never used) .15 
1.12.   The SPS Committee maintained its close working relationship with the Codex, the IPPC, and 
the OIE (often referred to as the "Three Sister" organizations) and received regular updates on their 
activities. Other observer organizations also provided informati on on their activities , including the 
WHO on COVID -19 related activities . Two new requests for observer status in the SPS Committee 
were submitted by the United Nations Industrial Organization (UNIDO)16 and the Arab Organization 
for Agricultural Developmen t (AOAD) .17 Observer status was granted to  AOAD but Members did not 
reach consensus on the request submitted by UNIDO.  
1.13.   The SPS Committee also considered  in its June 2020 meeting the Annual Report on the 
Procedure to Monitor the Process of International Harmonization.18 Four new issue s have been raised 
under this procedure in 2020 . Two of these issues  related to Members' use of Codex standards on 
residues of veterinary drugs in foods19 and on foods derived from recombinant -DNA plants20; one 
related to Members' implementation of OIE standards on Newcastle disease; and another related to 
the lack of an international standard for chocolate and cocoa products. Members continued to discuss 
two issues that had been raised in previous years  related to Members' implementation of OIE 
standards on African swine fever and on highly pathogenic avian influenza  (HPAI).  In addition, at 
the SPS Committee meeting of November  2020, one Member submitted a proposal for opening 
discussions on how the SPS Committee could further assist the three standard -setting bodies  in 
monitoring the use and implementation of international standards.21  
1.14.   The SPS Committee  normally consider s the Annual Overview on Transparency22 in its 
November meeting  of every year , however, the SPS Committee decided to issue this report in March 
of every year, along with the Annual Report on  Specific Trade Concerns .23 The issuance of both 
reports a t the same time will allow coverage of the same reporting period, as well as facilitate 
analysis and comparisons.  
1.15.   At each of its  meeting s, the SPS Committee was also kept informed of the work of the 
Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) by the ST DF Secretariat24, and of SPS -related 
technical assistance activities.  
1.16.   The SPS Committee continued to organize dedicated activities  to exchange experiences and 
hear from experts. In November 2020 , it held a Thematic Session on Voluntary Third-Party 
Assuranc e Programme , a topic that had been suggested by Belize, and was subject to a 
recommendation in the Fifth Review  Report . This session provide d an opportunity to receive updates 
from the international standard -setting bodies on their work in the area; facilitate an exchange of 
information among Members on their use of voluntary third -party assurance as part of national 
SPS control systems; obtain  the perspectives and experiences of the private sector; and learn about 
relevant capacity -building initiatives .25 Several other events were organised at the margin of the 
SPS Committee meetings. This included a n SPS@25 event to take stock of the 25 years of 
implementation of the SPS Agreement and look ahead to future challenges ; an information session 
on Farmers' Perspectives on SPS Challenges for Sustainable Food Production and Trade  organised 
by a handful of Members ; an OIE Information Session  launching two new publications ; and an FAO 
Information Session on pesticide maximum residue limits  based on  a case study on rice.  
1.17.   The SPS Committee tentatively agreed to hold regular meetings on 25 -26 March , 15-16 July,  
and 5-6 November 2021.26 The SPS Committee  decided to hold a Thematic Session on African Swine 
 
15 G/SPS/GEN/1829 . 
16 G/SPS/GEN/121/Add.18 . 
17 G/SPS/GEN/121/Add.19 . 
18 G/SPS/GEN/1776 . 
19 CX/MRL  2-2018. 
20 CAC/GL 45 -2003.  
21 G/SPS/GEN/1851 . 
22 G/SPS/GEN/804  and revisions . 
23 G/SPS/GEN/204  and revisions.  
24 G/SPS/GEN/1785  and G/SPS/GEN/1843 . 
25 G/SPS/GEN/1754/Rev.3 . 
26 G/SPS/GEN/1823 . G/L/1376  
 
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  Fever in March  2021 and a  Workshop on Risk Assessment, Risk Management and Risk  
Communication  in July 2021 .27 In addition, it  discuss ed holding a thematic session on default 
pesticide MRLs  in 2021. 
__________  
 
27 This activity  had initially been scheduled to take place in 2020 but had to be postponed  due to the 
COVID -19 pandemic.