WTO/SPS Guidelines

Making sure that food is traded safely and that animal and plant pests or diseases are not spread through trade means that import restrictions are sometimes required.

The Agreement recognizes the right of WTO members to adopt legitimate measures to protect food safety and animal and plant health while ensuring these measures are not applied in an unnecessary manner for protectionist purposes.

“Three Sisters” of SPS – International Standards

• SPS recognizes the following three international standard setting agencies
• For Food Safety – Human health:
  Codex-Alimentarius Commission (CAC), Vienna
  (http://www.codexalimentarius.org/)
• For Animal health and Zoonoses:
  nternational Office of Epizootics (OIE), / World Organization for Animal Health, Paris
  (http://www.oie.int/)
• For Plant Health:
  International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), Rome
  (https://www.ippc.int/)