WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/1039 
6 September 2010 
 
 (10-4579) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   French 
  
 
NOTIFICATION RELATING TO THE PRESEN TATION OF THE OFFICIAL MOROCCAN 
AUTHORITY RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WTO 
SPS AGREEMENT AND SERVING AS  THE SPS ENQUIRY POINT 
 
Communication from Morocco
 
 
  The following communication, received on 23 A ugust 2010, is being circulated at the request 
of the delegation of Morocco
. 
 
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L'office national de sécurité sanitaire des produits alimentaires 
(National Office for Food Safety) 
Avenue Hadj Ahmed Cherkaoui-Agdal-Rabat 
Tel:  +(212 5) 3768 1351/+(212 6) 7539 9451 
Fax:  +(212 5) 3768 2049 
http://www.onssa.gov.ma  
  
1. In the context of the implementation of the Plan Maroc vert  (Green Morocco Plan), a strategy 
launched by His Majesty the King with a view to tu rning the agricultural sector into a lever for the 
economic and social development of Morocco, the Mi nistry of Agriculture and Marine Fisheries has 
created the National Office for Food Safety (ON SSA), established by Law No. 25-08 promulgated by 
Dahir No. 1-09-20 of 22 Safar 1430 (18 February 2009).  The ONSSA brings together the veterinary 
services which came under the former Livestock Di rectorate and the services which came under the 
former Plant Protection, Technical Inspectio n and Anti-Fraud Directorate, which until 
31 December 2009 served as the enquiry points for sa nitary and phytosanitary matters respectively. 
2. The ONSSA is a public agency with legal persona lity and financial autonomy.  It is attached 
to the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Fisheries. 
3. The ONSSA performs functions on behalf of the State relating to the protection of consumer 
health and animal and plant health  at every stage of the food chain.   It is the national authority 
responsible for SPS negotiations to facilitate trade in  animals, plants, animal and plant products and 
animal feed. 
4. To that end, the tasks assigned to the former Directorates (the Livestock (Veterinary Services) 
Directorate and the Plant Protection, Technical Inspection and Anti-Fraud Directorate) concerning 
sanitary and phytosanitary matters have been tr ansferred to the ONSSA, which is the competent 
authority responsible, in accordance with the laws and regulations in force, for the following tasks: 
• Plant and animal health and food safety fro m the raw materials to the end consumer, 
including food intended for use as animal feed; G/SPS/GEN/1039 
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  • protection of the health of the country's pl ant and animal life and control of plant and 
animal products and products of plant and an imal origin, including fishery products, 
during import, export and in the domestic market; 
• animal health surveillance and control of their identification and movements; 
• application of the regulations in force rela ting to veterinary and phytosanitary health 
conditions; 
• analysis of the potential consumer health risks posed by food products and animal 
feed as well as the threats posed by pathogen s to the health of plants and animals; 
• control of plant and animal diseases, plant and animal products, food products, animal 
feed, veterinary drugs and any other products  intended for use in veterinary medicine 
or surgery; 
• granting health permits or approvals, as a pplicable, for establishments in which food 
products and animal feed are produced, made, processed, handled, transported, 
stored, preserved or sold, with the exception of fish markets, fishing vessels, floating 
barges and units engaged in the treatment , production, processing, packaging or 
preservation of marine fishing products and by-products; 
• issuing opinions on the sanitary compliance of the marine fishing establishments 
referred to in the preceding para graph prior to their approval; 
• registration of veterinary drugs and veterinary pharmaceutical establishments; 
• control of food additives, packaging materi al and products and materials liable to 
come into contact with food products as well as with fertilizers and irrigation water; 
• authorization and/or registration of livestock farms; 
• approval of pesticides and of establishm ents producing, importing or exporting 
pesticides; 
• certification of seeds and seedlings and approval of establishments producing, 
importing or exporting seeds and seedlings. 
5. In addition, the ONSSA is responsible for the follow-up to Codex Alimentarius work and, to 
that end, it provides the secretariat for the Na tional Codex Alimentarius Committee created by 
Decree No. 2-03-140 of 6 Hija 1425 (17 January 2005).  It also serves as the enquiry point for the 
World Trade Organization's Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), is responsible 
for implementing the SPS Agreement and represents  Morocco within the World Organisation for 
Animal Health (OIE). 
6. It should be noted that the ONSSA compri ses the following decentralized services:  
ten regional directorates, 41 provincial veterinary  services, 43 provincial services for the control of 
plant products and products of plant origin, 43 provincial plan t protection services, seven regional 
veterinary analysis and research laboratories, one national laboratory for the control of veterinary 
drugs and five directorates responsible for control and quality at border posts.  G/SPS/GEN/1039 
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  7. The ONSSA is the official Moroccan authority r esponsible for the focal points relating to the 
following international organizations: 
• Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme  (Codex Alimentarius Commission):  
Secretariat of the National Codex Alimentarius Committee; 
• WTO for the implementation of the SPS Agreement:  enquiry point for 
SPS measures; 
• OIE:  National Delegate representing Morocco before the OIE; 
• International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC):  Moroccan contact point. 
8. It should be noted, moreover, that in c onnection with the implementation of the 
SPS Agreement the Moroccan Government set up a national SPS Committee by Prime Ministerial Decree.  This Committee, whose secretariat function has been en trusted to the ONSSA, is responsible 
for: 
• Proposing actions to implement the WTO SPS Agreement; 
• studying sanitary and phytosanitary measu res taken by WTO Members and reporting 
the results to the authorities and professionals concerned; 
• participating in the drafting of the propo sals that Morocco plans to submit to the 
WTO Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures; 
• transmitting to members of the national SPS Committee all notifications received and 
made by WTO Members; 
• informing trade partners of the implementa tion of new international regulations and 
standards relating to the safety of animal and plant products and to animal and plant 
health; 
• contributing to the incorporation of sanit ary and phytosanitary measures in economic 
and social development programmes and pr eparing any relevant recommendations in 
that respect; 
• coordinating and organizing sanitary and phytosanitary awareness campaigns in 
cooperation with the competent State agencies and institutions; 
• contributing to the dissemination of the r esults of the work and studies conducted at 
the national and international levels in  the sanitary and phytosanitary area. 
9. The decree setting up this national SPS Committe e was notified to the WTO and published in 
Official Journal No. 5862 of 5 August 2010.  It can be downloaded from the ONSSA website:  
http://www.onssa.gov.ma
. 
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