Develop and disseminate timely market intelligence on processed food products, foreign technical standards, regulations and World Trade Organization (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) notifications on behalf of U.S. public and private sector stakeholders. Advise policy makers and private sector on agriculture-related measures, compliance with the obligations of the WTO TBT Agreement, USDA representation on WTO TBT Committee and TBT-related Codex Alimentarius Committees.

Division Contact List

Responsible for:

WTO TBT Committee and Agriculture-Related TBT Notification Coordination Activities:
The WTO TBT Agreement requires Member states to report all central government and sub-central level government procedures that may adversely or significantly affect trade with other nations. PPTRD works with the designated WTO TBT U.S. Enquiry Point and Notification Authority located at the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Center for Standards and Certification Information (NCSCI), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to review, analyze, coordinate, and provide comments on agriculture-related TBT notifications of technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures that may pose a barrier to U.S. food and agricultural trade interests. PPTRD is also responsible for the coordination and clarification of food and agricultural TBT issues with the U.S. SPS Enquiry Point and National Notification Authority – located in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), International Regulations and Standards Division (IRSD).

U.S. WTO TBT Enquiry Point Activities
u Educational Presentation and Other Resources Information 
u U.S. TBT Foreign Notifications search engine
u U.S. TBT Notifications  
u   U.S. WTO TBT Enquiry Point and Notification Authority
u WTO Website on Technical Barriers to Trade

WTO TBT Committee and Processed Products Representation
PPTRD participates as a member of a multi-agency U.S. delegation (Trade Policy Sub-Committee (TPSC)) to the WTO Committee on TBT, headed by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), and analyzes and coordinates WTO SPS notifications and enquiries related to processed products with the U.S. SPS Enquiry Point and National Notification Authority.

WTO TBT Committee Meeting Summary Reports
u March 2008 meeting
u July 2008 meeting
u July 2008 WTO TBT FAS Position Papers

U.S. WTO SPS Committee Meeting: Processed Products SPS Issues
u June 2008 meeting

TRADE MONITORING AND MARKET INTELLIGENCE

Export Certification Working Groups (ECWG)
Terms of Reference
Working Group (WG) meeting minutes
Active ECWG Sub-working Groups Activities:
u Certificate of Free Sale WG
u Conformity Assessment Requirements
u Electronic Certification Trends and E-Gov Trends WG (TRACES)
u Halal/Organic and other Processed Based Measures (PBM) related WG
u Health Certification WG
u Radiation/irradiation Certification WG

Calendar of upcoming WG Meetings and Events

Food and Agriculture Import Regulations and Standards Reporting Systems
u Food and Agriculture Reporting System (FAIRS): “Country Report,” “Export Certificate Report” and “Subject” Report - website search engine.
u U.S. State Government Export Certificates issuing officials by State - website search engine.

Processed Products Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade (ATAC) PPTRD works with the FAS Office of Trade Programs (OTP) and Office of Negotiations and Agreements (ONA) to coordinate activities of the Processed Products ATAC to ensure ongoing liaison between the federal government and the private sector regarding agricultural trade issues, to assist in the identification and resolution of technical barriers to U.S. trade in processed foods.
u Processed Products ATAC Members

INTERNATIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS AND OTHER TRADE-RELATED ACTIVITIES

PPTRD monitors and provides comments on the application of TBT measures as they relate to food and agricultural products in WTO Accessions, Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), Financial and Technical Assistance Agreements (FTAAs), Trade and Investment Framework Agreements (TIFAs), and at trade engagements such as U.S. Consultative Committees on Agriculture (CCAs) and other trade fora impacting agriculture. PPTRD supports FAS participation on trade issues in the following international fora:
u Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) – Food and Agriculture Working Group (Prosperity Agenda)
  û Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) Agreement: 2007 Ministerial meeting
u North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Technical Working Group on Food Labeling, Standards, and Packaging (FLSP)
  û 2008 NAFTA TWG Minutes from April meeting

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS-SETTING FORA

Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) Codex Alimentarius Committee (Codex):  PPTRD representation
u Committee on Food Additives
u Committee on Food Labeling
u Committee on Import/Export Inspection and Certification Systems
u Committee on Milk and Milk Products (geographic indicators (GI) issues)
u Committee on Pesticide Residues, and others as required.
  û Global Minor Use Summit

International Organization for Standardization (ISO): TBT issue coordination
u Conformity Assessment policies and procedures
u ISO TC– 34 - Food products
u ISO TC – 176 - Quality management and quality assurance
u Quality Systems International Harmonization

Other TBT and/or Processed Products Issues covered include
u Bioterrorism and Food Security Measures
u Contaminants
u Country of Origin Labeling
u Environmental and Animal Rights Measures
u General Labeling and Claims Measures
u Halal Products Measures
u Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) Issues
u MRL Database
u Organic Products Measures
u Quality and Grade trade related issues

Generally Asked Questions and Answers

Training and Capacity Building Activities

Educational Presentations and Other Resource Information

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