See also:
> Agriculture
> Technical barriers to trade
> World Trade Report 2005: Exploring the links between trade, standards and the WTO
> WTO Agreements and Public Health — A joint study by WHO and the WTO Secretariat

SPS news  back to top

Includes unofficial and less technical summaries of SPS Committee meetings

> See also Work on SPS in the WTO, below

Introduction  back to top

Introduction to WTO rules on sanitary and phytosanitary measures
Links to part of the agriculture section of the WTO guide “Understanding the WTO”
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“Understanding the SPS Agreement” (text only)
A more technical introduction

Interactive course: Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS)

Interactive course: How to apply the transparency provisions of the SPS Agreement

The mandate  back to top

Browse or download the text of the SPS Agreement from the legal texts gateway

WTO Agreements series: SPS

Find decisions of WTO bodies concerning the SPS Agreement in the Analytical Index — Guide to WTO Law and Practice

Review of the operation and implementation of the Agreement of the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures. Committee Report of the Second Review adopted in 2005 (MS Word format; opens a new window).

The Doha mandate: SPS in the 2001 ministerial decision on implementation

Work on SPS in the WTO, and official documents  back to top

Work on this subject is handled by the SPS Committee, which reports to the Goods Council. The work is officially recorded in the committee’s annual reports to the General Council and in summary reports (equivalent to minutes) of the committee’s meetings.

> See also SPS news, above
> Current Chairperson

Work in the SPS Committee

Other official SPS documents

Full list of all official SPS documents circulated since 1995 (updated September 2005) Download in MS Word format (53 pages, 1632KB, opens in a new window)

Receive unrestricted SPS documents by e-mail: All unrestricted documents related to the SPS Agreement are now being sent via e-mail, usually twice a week, to a mailing list. The documents are normally sent only in the original language (English, French or Spanish).    > subscribe

Transparency  back to top

New mentoring system available for national notification authorities and enquiry points

Workshop on Transparency, 15-16 October 2007

Notification formats

Download the SPS notification formats here.

Download the SPS notification formats separately:

• Regular notification
    
• Emergency notification
    
• Notification of determination of the recognition of equivalence
    
• Notification of special and differential treatment
    
• Notification on availability of translations
      

Handbook: How to apply the transparency provisions of the SPS Agreement

A practical guide for member governments’ officials on how to notify measures to the WTO, establish an enquiry point, and respond to enquiries. Download in MS Word (74 pages, 357KB, opens in a new window) or pdf format (74 pages, 278KB, opens in a new window). Published September 2002.

> Interactive course: SPS Handbook

Links to member governments’ SPS websites  back to top

 > See also enquiry points and notification authorities, above

Events back to top

• SPS/STDF/OECD Workshop on Good Practice in SPS-Related Technical Cooperation, 6 October 2008
  > News item
• STDF Information Session on Private Standards, 26 June 2008
• STDF Workshop on SPS-Related Capacity Evaluation Tools, 31 March 2008
  > News item
• Workshop on Transparency, 15-16 October 2007
• Third Specialized SPS Course to be held in French on 22 October — 2 November 2007, following the October meeting of the SPS Committee
• Joint UNCTAD/WTO Informal Information Session on Private Standards, 25 June 2007
• Workshop on the implementation of the SPS Agreement, 31 March 2006
  > Agenda of the workshop
  > Presentations made at the workshop
  > A summary report of the workshop will be made available shortly
• SPS enhanced informal meeting on Article 6 (regionalization), 30-31 January 2006
• Specialized Course on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, in Spanish only, 31 October — 11 November 2005.
• Special meeting on the implementation of the SPS Agreement, March 2006.
• Special meeting on the operation of the SPS Enquiry Points, 31 October 2003
• Seminar on technical assistance and capacity building related to the SPS agreement, 5 November 2002
• Workshop on risk analysis, 19-20 June 2000

Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF)  back to top

The STDF was established as a joint initiative between the World Trade Organization, World Health Organization, World Bank, World Organization for Animal Health and Food and Agriculture Organization in September 2002. A medium term strategy for the STDF was agreed in December 2006 (G/SPS/GEN/748).

The STDF is both a co-ordinating and a financing mechanism. As a co-ordinating mechanism, the STDF acts as a forum for information sharing on past, present and planned SPS-related technical co-operation activities. TDF provides grant financing for projects and the preparation of projects which aim to enhance the capacity of developing countries to meet SPS standards. Further information on the STDF is available at the STDF website.

Electronic transmission of unrestricted SPS documents  back to top

All unrestricted documents related to the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) are now being sent via e-mail, usually twice a week, to a mailing list. You can subscribe to the mailing list by following the instructions below. The documents are normally sent only in the original language (English, French or Spanish). > subscribe

External links back to top

(links open in a new window)

Relevant standard-setting bodies

• FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission
• World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)
• FAO International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)

Observer organizations

• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• World Health Organization
• World Bank
• African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP)
• Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• International Trade Centre (ITC)
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Organismo Internacional de Sanidad Agropecuaria (OIRSA)
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Others

• European and Mediterranean Plant Protection organization (EPPO)
• Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)