WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/865 
11 July 2008 
 (08-3357) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures  
  
 
 
DOCUMENTS AND OTHER INFORMATION ON PRIVATE STANDARDS 
 
Note by the Secretariat
1 
 
 
I. DOCUMENTS ON PRIVATE STANDAR DS CIRCULATED IN THE SPS 
COMMITTEE 
Author / 
submitted by Document symbol 
and date Title and content/type of document 
WTO 
Secretariat G/SPS/GEN/746 
24 January 2007 Private Standards and the SPS Agreement 
Background note by the Secretariat – History, types of 
standards, trade issues 
ISO G/SPS/GEN/750 
16 February 2007 Submission by the International Organization for 
Standardization (ISO) to the SPS Committee 
Meeting - 28 February and 1 March 2007 
Information on ISO standards in the SPS area 
UNCTAD G/SPS/GEN/760 
26 February 2007 Typology of Global Standards  
Overview of types of standards and implications for 
small-scale producers 
UNCTAD G/SPS/GEN/761 
&Corr.1 26 February 2007 Private Sector Standards and Developing Country 
Exports of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables  
Information on country case studies in the fresh fruit 
and vegetable sector carried out in the context of a 
project under the umbrella of UNCTAD's Consultative Task Force on Environmental Requirements and Market Access for Developing Countries (CTF) 
OECD G/SPS/GEN/763 
27 February 2007 Private Voluntary Standards and Developing 
Country Market Access: Preliminary Results  
Information on a study on impacts of private standards 
based on four country case studies 
                                                      
1 This document has been prepared under the Secret ariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice 
to the positions of Members or to their rights or obligations under the WTO.  G/SPS/GEN/865 
Page 2  
 
  Author / 
submitted by Document symbol 
and date Title and content/type of document 
Bahamas G/SPS/GEN/764 
28 February 2007 Report by the Commonwealth of the Bahamas to 
the WTO-SPS Committee on Private Standards and the SPS Agreement:  th e Bahamas Experience  
Experiences (positive and negative) with private 
standards 
St. Vincent & the Grenadines G/SPS/GEN/766 
28 February 2007 Private Industry Standards 
Concerns related to private standards 
Ecuador G/SPS/GEN/792 
5 July 2007 Private and Commercial Standards  
Statement by Ecuador at the Meeting of 27-
28 June 2007 - Concerns and issues for discussion 
DFID G/SPS/GEN/802 
9 October 2007 Private Voluntary Standards within the WTO 
Multilateral Framework 
Legal analysis by Mr. Digby Gascoine in collaboration 
with O'Connor and Company 
OIE G/SPS/GEN/822 
25 February 2008 Considerations Relevant to Private Standards in 
the Field of Animal Health, Food Safety and Animal Welfare 
OIE concerns about the potential for private standards 
to restrict trade 
Uruguay G/SPS/GEN/843 
21 May 2008 Private Standards  
Statement by Uruguay at the Meeting of  2-3 April 
2008 - Concerns about private standards 
Uruguay G/SPS/W/225 
18 June 2008 Terms of Reference for the Working Group on 
Private Standards  
Proposal by Uruguay 
 
1. Discussions in the SPS Committee on private st andards are summarized in the following 
meeting reports: G/SPS/R/37 (meeting of 29-30 June 2005); G/SPS/R/39 (m eeting of 24 October 
2005, resumed on 1-2 February 2006); G/SPS/R/ 43 (meeting of 11-12 October 2006); G/SPS/R/44 
(meeting of 28 February-1 March 2007); G/SPS/R/ 45 (meeting of 27-28 June 2007); G/SPS/R/46 
(meeting of 18-19 October 2007); G/SPS/ R/49 (meeting of 2-3 April 2008). 
II. INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE WTO WEBSITE 
2. Information on the Joint UNCTAD/WTO Informal  Information Session on Private Standards 
held on 25 June 2007, including presentations, is available at: 
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/sps_e/private _standards_june07_e/priva te_standards_june07_e.h
tm  G/SPS/GEN/865 
 Page 3 
 
 
  3. Information on the STDF Information Session on Private Standards held on 26 June 2008, 
including presentations and podcasts, is available at:  http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/sps_e/private _standards_june08_e/priva te_standards_june08_e.h
tm 
 III. OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE ONLINE 
4. The following is a non-exhaustive list of some of the documents regarding private standards 
relevant to SPS measures of which the Secretariat is aware.  Members and Observers who wish to 
suggest the addition of other documents to this list are invited to so inform the Secretariat 
(Christiane.Wolff@wto.org). 
A. FAO 
5. The following documents are available from the FAO website: 
• A Practical Manual for Producers and Exporte rs from Asia: Regulations, Standards and 
Certification for Agricultural Exports;  2007;  av ailable in English, Bahasa, Myanmar, Thai, 
Vietnamese and Chinese at:  http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ag130e/ag130e00.htm
. 
• A Practical Manual for Producers and Exporters from East Africa: Regulations, Standards and 
Certification for Agricultural Exports; 2006;  available in English at:  
http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0791e/a0791e00.HTM . 
• A Qualitative Assessment of Standards a nd Certification Schemes Applicable to 
Aquaculture in the Asia–Pacific Region;   2007;  available in English at:  
http://www.fao.org/docrep/ 010/ai388e/ai388e00.htm . 
• Private Standards in the United States and Europ ean Union Markets for Fruit and Vegetables:  
Implications for Developing Countries;  2007;  available in English at:  http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a1245e/a1245e00.HTM
. 
• Food Safety Certification;  2006, (on existing food safety certification programmes and their 
potential impact on global food trade);  available in English at:  ftp://ftp.fao.org/docre p/fao/008/ag067e/ag067e00.pdf
. 
 
B. OECD 
6. The following papers are available from the OECD website: 
 
• Final Report on Private Standards and the Shaping of the Agro-Food System;  
AGR/CA/APM(2006)9/FINAL;  31 July 2006;  available in English and French at:   http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2006doc.nsf/linkto/agr-ca-apm(2006)9-final
. 
• Private Standard Schemes and Developing Country Access to Global Value Chains:  
Challenges and Opportunities Emerging from four Case Studies;  AGR/CA/APM(2006)20/FINAL;  5 October 2007;  av ailable in English and French at:   
http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2006doc .nsf/linkto/agr-ca-apm(2006)20-final
. 
• Market Access and Private Standards: Case Study of the Chilean Fruit Markets;  
AGR/CA/APM(2005)27/FINAL;  16 October 2007;  av ailable in English and French at:   
http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2005doc .nsf/linkto/agr-ca-apm(2005)27-final . 
 G/SPS/GEN/865 
Page 4  
 
  • Market Access and Private Standards: Case Study of the Peruvian Fruit and Vegetable 
Markets;  AGR/CA/APM(2006)23/FINAL;  10 Se ptember 2007;  available in English and 
French at:  http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2006doc.nsf/linkto/agr-ca-apm(2006)23-final
. 
• Market Access and Private Standards: C ase Study of the Ghana Fruit Markets; 
AGR/CA/APM(2006)22/FINAL;  12 September 2007;  av ailable in English and French at:   
http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2006doc .nsf/linkto/agr-ca-apm(2006)22-final . 
• Market Access and Private Standards:  Case Study of the South African Fruit Market;  
AGR/CA/APM(2005)28/FINAL;  12 September 2007;  av ailable in English and French at:   
http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2005doc .nsf/linkto/agr-ca-apm(2005)28-final  
 
C. UNCTAD 
7. The following publications are all available from the UNCTAD website at 
http://www.unctad.org/trade_env/documentsPUBLI.asp : 
• Private-Sector Standards and National Sc hemes for Good Agricultural Practices:  
Implications for Exports of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables from s ub-Saharan Africa:  
Experiences of Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda.  Symbol: UNCTAD/DITC/TED/2007/13.  Date:  
April 2008;  available in English.   
• Challenges and Opportunities Arising from Private Standards on Food Safety and 
Environment for Exporters of Fresh Fruit and Ve getables in Asia:  Experiences of Malaysia, 
Thailand and Viet Nam.  Symbol:  UNCTAD/DITC /TED/2007/6.  Date:  Feb 2008;  available 
in English. 
• The Implications of Private-Sector Standard s for Good Agricultural Practices:  Exploring 
Options to Facilitate Market Access for De veloping-country Exporters of Fruit and 
Vegetables:  Experiences of Argentina, Brazil and Costa Rica.  Symbol:  UNCTAD/DITC/TED/2007/2.  Date:  Nov 2007;  available in English. 
• Food Safety and Environmental Requirements  in Export Markets - Friend or Foe for 
Producers of Fruit and Vegetables in Asian Developing Countries? Symbol: 
UNCTAD/DITC/TED/2006/8.  Date:  Aug 2007;  available in English. 
• Requisitos Ambientales, Competitividad Inte rnacional y Acceso a Mercados en América 
Central, Cuba y la República Dominicana: Cont exto internacional y experiencias nacionales, 
con referencia especial a los productos agríco las.  Symbol:  UNCTAD/DITC/TED/2006/1.  
Date:  May 2007;  available in Spanish. 
 
D. W
ORLD BANK 
8. Information on the World Bank's project on "C hallenges and Opportunities Associated with 
International Agro-Food Standards", including ten country case studies, industrialized country buyer surveys and other information is available (in English) at:   http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL /TOPICS/TRADE/0,,contentMDK:20334931~menu
PK:634021~pagePK:148956~piPK:2 16618~theSitePK:239071,00.html  
  G/SPS/GEN/865 
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  E. OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION  
(i) Agrifoodstandards.net 
9. The agrifoodstandards.net website contains ma ny useful resources on small-scale producers 
and standards in agrifood supply chains, including the Fresh Insights and Fresh Perspectives series (in 
English):  http://www.agrifoodstandards.net . 
(ii) Global Food Safety Initiative 
10. The Global Food Safety Initiative has published a position paper on standards, cooperation 
and harmonization in the global food industr y.  It is available in English at: 
http://www.ciesnet.com/pfiles/programmes/foodsafety/2008-GFSI-Position-Paper.pdf . 
(iii) Trade Standards Practitioners Network 
11. The Trade Standards Practitioners Network we bsite contains articles and much useful 
information on standards-related projects, as we ll as on standards schemes on different issues and 
products (in English): http://www.tradestandards.org . 
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