United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

APHIS 

in the 

Global Trade 

Arena
APHIS works to safeguard American agriculture by keeping destructive foreign pests and

diseases out of the United States. Should an

exotic disease threaten U.S. borders, it’s

APHIS’ role to combat the threat and prevent an outbreak. By ensuring the health and

well-being of animals and plants nationwide,

APHIS helps improve agricultural productivity and competitiveness and contributes to

the national economy and the public health.

APHIS’ dedicated workforce strives to meet

the needs of an ever-expanding customer

base. We use state-of-the-art technology to

keep up with trends in agriculture and international trade as well as other pertinent

issues. All of our work enhances the United

States’ ability to buy and sell agricultural

products in the international marketplace,

fortifies our abundant, safe, and diverse food

supply, and contributes to the health of U.S.

public and private lands.

Global Trade Agreements

Several global trade agreements help 

APHIS to carry out its mission, the most

important of which are the North American

Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the

World Trade Organization (WTO) Sanitary

and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement, the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs

and Trade (GATT). Both have helped the

United States become more competitive in

the international trade arena, especially in

the area of agriculture.

This growing interest in agricultural trade

has created a more visible role for APHIS and

expanded our mission to ensure that new

trade opportunities benefit the United States

without creating new threats from harmful

exotic pests and diseases. APHIS is delegated

as the primary negotiator for SPS-related

trade issues. In that role, APHIS has the

responsibility for regulating the importation

of food and agricultural commodities into

the United States as well as establishing SPS

requirements that set the boundaries for safe

international agricultural trade. The need for

such SPS requirements is fully recognized by

NAFTA and the WTO.

NAFTA, a trilateral trade pact between the

United States, Canada, and Mexico, went into

effect in January 1994. The GATT was established in the wake of World War II, and its

successor organization, the WTO, was created in 1995 after a series of trade negotiations known as the Uruguay Round.

Collectively, the WTO’s more than 140 member countries account for more than 90 percent of world trade. Decisions are made

based on the consensus of the entire WTO

membership.

During NAFTA and WTO negotiations, countries embarked on a historic effort to reform

agricultural trade. Under both agreements,

countries are required to base their SPS

measures on scientific evidence. In short,

countries are now required to scientifically

justify their reasons for impeding the free

2 APHIS in the Global Trade Arena

Protecting American agriculture is the

basic charge of the U.S. Department of

Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

APHIS has employees stationed across

the country and around the world to

accomplish this mission.
flow of trade. With the reductions in quotas

and tariffs that are a result of WTO and

NAFTA, there is a greater potential for countries to use pests and diseases as artificial

barriers to trade. In order to exclude agricultural products presented for importation, a

country must be able to scientifically document that allowing such importation would

create an unacceptable risk of introducing

foreign pests or disease. To be designated as

quarantine significant, a pest or disease must

not exist in the importing country or be

present only in a limited area that is under

official control.

NAFTA and WTO requirements for risk

assessments are intended to make countries’

SPS regulations more transparent and scientifically based. Countries also are required to

be consistent in their risk management practices. Agricultural officials cannot treat one

country different from another when the

importation of their goods would result in

the same pest risk. It is important to note,

however, that NAFTA and WTO clearly recognize the rights of countries to set their own

levels of protection.

Regionalization

In addition, the WTO and NAFTA commit

countries to recognizing disease- and pestfree areas within a country even if a particular pest or disease exists elsewhere in the

nation. This concept is perhaps the most significant policy and regulatory issue facing

APHIS and our trade partners. It has, however, created new opportunities for the

United States, as well as other countries that

may have a pest in one region but be free of

it elsewhere.

The concept of regionalization is founded on

the longstanding idea that import requirements should be based on geography and science rather than on politics. The political

borders between countries and delimiting

states within a country are invisible; geographic boundaries, such as mountains and

rivers, are not. Pests and diseases must be

able to travel in order to spread. If the path is

blocked by a mountain range down the middle of a country, then the disease is naturally

confined to one side of that country.

The states of Sonora and Yucatan in Mexico

are prime examples. While other regions 

in Mexico still have outbreaks of classical

swine fever (CSF), the prevalence of the

disease in Sonora and Yucatan is low. Based

on the principle of regionalization and a risk

analysis, the United States accepts imports of

fresh (chilled or frozen) pork from Sonora

and Yucatan even though other regions of

the country are not allowed to export pork 

to the United States because of the presence

of CSF.

Plant health officials refer to regionalization

as “area freedom.” The name is different, but

the results are the same. When Pennsylvania

officials discovered an outbreak of plum pox

in October 1999, area freedom kept the

entire State, and perhaps the entire Nation,

from being quarantined. Under area freedom, the disease, which infects stone fruit,

resulted in a quarantine only in the Adams

County, PA, area where plum pox was

detected. Other major U.S. stonefruitproducing areas, such as Washington, can

continue to export peaches, apricots, plums,

and almonds.

Should one nation disagree with another’s

trade requirements, the requirements can be

challenged through NAFTA and the WTO’s

dispute settlement processes. A disagreement arising between Mexico, Canada, or 

the United States could be first addressed

through NAFTA. In both NAFTA and the

WTO, a panel is appointed to review the situation and make a ruling. If a country fails to

recognize the panel’s ruling, the WTO

provides a mechanism for proceeding.

APHIS in the Global Trade Arena 3

This growing

interest in

agricultural trade

has created a 

more visible role 

for APHIS and

expanded our

mission to ensure

that new trade

opportunities

benefit the United

States without

creating new

threats from

harmful exotic 

pests and diseases.
International Standards

The WTO and NAFTA encourage countries to

base their SPS regulations on international

standards. Countries are required to publish

proposed regulations in order to give other

nations a chance to comment before the

regulations go into effect. This process is

intended to reduce unnecessary variance

between countries’ technical health standards—differences that are often the cause

of trade disputes. It is a top priority of APHIS

to work with our trading partners to develop

internationally acceptable standards. We’ve

already made great progress in this area with

some nations, especially Canada and Mexico.

APHIS works with and recognizes a number

of standards-setting organizations that help

determine the rules for international trade.

L’Office International des Epizooties 

(OIE) and Animal Health

One of the most important standards-setting

organizations, Paris-based OIE has more

than 150 member countries. It was started in

the 1920’s in response to the appearance of

rinderpest in Europe from Pakistan. Each

member country has one vote and one delegate. Its major functions are to collect and

disseminate information on the distribution

and control of animal diseases, coordinate

research on contagious animal diseases, and

standardize rules for international trade in

animals and animal products.

OIE aims to ensure that scientifically justified measures are used to govern international trade in animals and animal products.

The WTO has designated the OIE as the

international forum for setting animal

health standards, reporting global animal

health situations and status, and presenting

guidelines and recommendations on animal

health issues.

International and North American

Organizations for Plant Health

The WTO recognizes the International Plant

Protection Convention (IPPC) when it comes

to setting plant health standards. In effect

since 1952, the IPPC is a multilateral treaty

that promotes “. . . common and effective

action to prevent the spread and introduction of pests of plants and plant products 

and to promote measures for their control.”

The treaty is administered by the Food and

Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United

Nations. Currently, more than 100 countries

adhere to the IPPC.

In 1989, an IPPC Secretariat was created to

coordinate activities for the IPPC and to support the development and administration of

international phytosanitary standards. Given

the importance of international standards to

future agricultural trade, the technical and

regulatory nature of plant health issues

covered by the IPPC, and APHIS’ scientific

expertise in this area, APHIS has assumed

the role of lead U.S. agency participating in

activities of the IPPC.

The IPPC objectives are to develop international plant health standards, promote the

harmonization of plant quarantine activities

with emerging standards, facilitate the dissemination of phytosanitary information,

support plant health assistance to developing

countries, and resolve disputes.

The North American Plant Protection

Organization (NAPPO)—a regional plant

protection organization of the IPPC created

in 1976—coordinates the efforts among

Canada, the United States, and Mexico to

protect their plant resources from the entry,

establishment, and spread of plant pests

while ensuring the free flow of trade between

the three nations. APHIS employees are frequently assigned to NAPPO committees

charged with reviewing technical standards

or reviewing new methods for pest control.

4 APHIS in the Global Trade Arena

It is a top priority

of APHIS to work

with our trading

partners to develop

internationally

acceptable

standards. We’ve

already made 

great progress 

in this area with

some nations,

especially Canada

and Mexico.
For example, APHIS employees worked with

NAPPO to develop guidelines for the release

of nonnative organisms to control weeds.

In addition to establishing plant quarantine

standards, NAPPO also has developed a pest

risk analysis (PRA) standard. PRAs are generally done for every agricultural commodity

entering the United States. The PRA identifies foreign pests that could harm U.S. agriculture and the level of risk related to a

particular commodity. By adhering to the

PRA standard developed by NAPPO, the

United States, Mexico, and Canada can all be

assured they’re using the same approach to

evaluate pest risks.

Codex and Free Trade Areas 

for the Americas

The Codex Alimentarius Commission for

food safety standards is the third international standards-setting organization recognized by the WTO. Jointly managed by the

World Health Organization and the FAO,

Codex, established in 1963, facilitates world

food trade by establishing international standards based on accepted scientific knowledge. Codex deals with subjects such as food

additives, pesticide residues, and food labeling. Codex expert committees are composed

of representatives from government regulatory agencies, such as USDA’s Food Safety

and Inspection Service, the international scientific community, and industry.

The OIE, IPPC, NAPPO, and Codex have

earned prominent roles in determining the

substance, direction, priorities, and outcomes of SPS requirements. Domestic

groups have grown increasingly aware of

these organizations and the importance of

their activities, resulting in increased interest and expectations concerning the development, establishment, and amendment of

international standards, particularly from

the standpoint of dispute resolution.

In addition to working with such standardssetting organizations as the OIE, IPPC, and

Codex, the United States is also involved in

the proposed negotiation of Free Trade Areas

for the Americas (FTAA). In January 1995,

the United States and 33 governments from

Central and South America and the

Caribbean established the foundation for the

FTAA, making a joint declaration of their

commitment to the hemispheric integration

of economics and trade by 2005. FTAA has

the potential of accelerating greater intrahemispheric trade, particularly in agriculture, given the significant role that

agriculture plays in the economies of most

Latin American and Caribbean countries.

The FTAA initiative reflects current U.S.

trade policy aimed at deepening our trade

relations with newly emerging or developing

economies of our hemisphere.

As a result of WTO and the pending FTAA,

Latin America has evolved into an important

region in terms of new markets for U.S.

agricultural goods. APHIS has played an

instrumental role in establishing trade

relationships with these countries.

APHIS in the Global Trade Arena 5
Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation

Another example of U.S. efforts to broaden

commercial relations beyond Europe and

Canada is APHIS’ participation in the Asia–

Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). APEC

was established in 1989 to promote cooperation in trade and other economic issues.

What started out as an organization with

12 member countries has nearly doubled in

size to encompass countries as diverse as

Australia, Brunei, and China. As a member of

APEC, the United States attends regular

meetings to discuss such issues as trade liberalization, technology transfer, investment,

energy, and other topics of mutual interest.

It was not until 1995, however, that APEC

members agreed to address agricultural

trade. At this time, a group of agricultural

technical experts was formed to discuss

issues, including biotechnology and quarantine and pest management.

APHIS recognizes the countries in the

Pacific Rim region as strategically important

agricultural markets and plays a key role in

meetings of the APEC agricultural technical

experts. In recent years, APHIS has worked

hard to develop technical working relationships with such nations as Japan, South

Korea, and China. These relationships have

been instrumental in creating new markets

for U.S. agricultural commodities. APHIS

was successful in March 2000 with helping

to open up the Chinese market to U.S. citrus.

Besides being economically significant, this

agreement also helps pave the way for future

market opportunities.

Without the creation of the WTO and 

NAFTA, such trade relationships would not

be possible. It’s a principal role of APHIS to

make sure the United States and our trading

partners adhere to the SPS rules set forth by

the WTO and NAFTA as well as the other

relevant standards-setting organizations.

While trade agreements have helped to open

up new markets for the United States and

other countries, APHIS must ensure that

U.S. agriculture is protected in all endeavors

and that agricultural imports from foreign

countries do not create new pathways for

pests. APHIS’ role in the global marketplace

will continue to increase as the United 

States expands current trade relationships

and establishes new partnerships with

developing countries.

For more information about APHIS

programs, visit the APHIS homepage at

http://www.aphis.usda.gov

6 APHIS in the Global Trade Arena

In recent years,

APHIS has worked

hard to develop

technical working

relationships with

such nations as

Japan, South Korea,

and China. These

relationships have

been instrumental

in creating new

markets for 

U.S. agricultural

commodities.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination in all its

programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex,

religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or

family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons

with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of

program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact

USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil

Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call (202) 720–5964 (voice and TDD).

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
United States

Department of

Agriculture

Animal and Plant

Health Inspection

Service

Miscellaneous 

Publication No. 1572

Issued September 2001