Trade Policy Staff Committee; Public Comments on the Triennial Review of the World Trade Organization Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the ``SPS Agreement'')

Zusammenfassung

The Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is requesting written public comments with respect to the review by the World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the ``SPS Committee'') of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the ``SPS Agreement''). At the conclusion of the Uruguay Round, the WTO signatories agreed to review the SPS Agreement three years after its entry into force. The review is expected to focus on progress in implementing the SPS Agreement, including provisions relating to the requirement that measures be based on science and risk assessment, to transparency and notification procedures, harmonization of international sanitary and phytosanitary standards, and distinctions between the levels of sanitary and phytosanitary protection established in different situations. In particular, the United States will be assessing the contribution that implementation of the SPS Agreement makes to the reduction of unjustified barriers to agricultural trade, while preserving the United States' ability to protect human, animal and plant life and health. Comments received will be considered by the Executive Branch in