Briefing ‘SPS standards’: interviews of participants

May 26, 2009

 

Relationship between private standards and the WTO’s SPS Agreement
Mr Robson de Moura Fernandes (World Trade Organisation) presents the relationship between private standards and the WTO’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement. He mentions the development of discussions in the SPS Committee to date, how the issue emerged in the SPS Committee and is now being discussed in order to define what the relationship is between private standards and the SPS Agreement. He identifies ways for countries to overcome private standards by either complying or regulating them. He hopes to provide incentives for countries to get more information on the implications of private standards, either individually, regionally or as a group of countries, and to get more involved in the discussions taking place in the SPS Committee.

Concerns over the multitude of private standards
Dr. Andrew Graffham (Natural Resources Initiative, University of Greenwich) highlights that food safety and quality have now become major issues to be respected to access export markets. Public and private standards can become barriers to trade due to their lack of transparence and participation by ACP actors in setting these standards. Smallholders from ACP countries are likely to suffer the most from the rise of private standards.

Trends in private standards
Mr Steve Homer (BIOS Partners) presents the trends and the drivers behind the setting of new standards. He also sheds a light on how standards have evolved in the last decade and the trend for emerging combination standards, which are mainly food safety standards with environmental and sustainability criteria. He looks at how farmers in ACP countries can be affected and can cope with these changing trends.

Building quality and compliance infrastructure
Mr Steffen Kaeser is programme manager in the Trade Capacity Building branch at UNIDO and shares his experience on the development of quality infrastructure. Country programmes are run by UNIDO for particular commodities, as a result of an FAO inspection or report, when a deficiency is discovered. He highlights some of the challenges faced in setting up quality and compliance infrastructure. Some of these include the design of the programme, work with the regional economic commissions and technical challenges (such as selecting laboratories, developing harmonized standards within the region, etc.).

Cost of compliance should be shared between all parties
Mr Fred Kong’ong’o (African Cotton and Textile Industry Federation) highlighted the difficulties faced by small-scale farmers in developing countries to adapt to ever-changing and secretive private standards, set by every supermarket. He called upon the WTO to engage with the private sector in the developing world to set uniform standards which can be met by developing countries. He also insisted on the cost of standards to be borne by all the actors along the supply chain (including consumers paying a higher price), thus helping move towards achieving the MDGs.

Food safety to start at the farm level
Mr Jethro Greene is chief coordinator for the Caribbean Farmers’ Network Organisation and represents farmers’ organizations in over 30 Caribbean countries. He highlights the importance of farmers’ organisations’ involvement and of receiving a fair share for their products. He insists on changing mentalities so that the question of food safety starts at the farm level and applies to products for the domestic market as well as international markets.

Protection of consumers’ health and assistance to third countries exporters
Mr Jacky Le Gosles (European Commission) informs us that the EU aims to protect its consumers, without however harming smallholders’ production and exports in ACP countries. The EC offers technical assistance to producers, through inspections and training sessions organized in third countries. These training sessions enable a real exchange between European experts and ACP producers and aim to assist countries wishing to export to the EU, to reach the requirements in terms of protection of consumers.

Read more about the Briefing “Meeting food safety standards: implications for ACP agricultural exports” (11th May 2009)

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Briefing ‘SPS standards’: video material

May 25, 2009

 

The video recordings of the 11th Briefing session (“Meeting food safety standards: implications for ACP agricultural exports”) are available (please click on the name of the speaker to watch his/her intervention):

Welcome remarks:

Panel 1 – Meeting food safety standards and the challenges for ACP countries

Panel 2 – Learning from experience: what are the challenges ahead on standard-setting and compliance for ACP countries

  • Dr Medhat El Helepi, AU/IBAR
  • Mr Michael Scannell, European Commission
  • Dr Stephen Mbithi Mwikya, FPEAK
  • Mr Philip Borel, Greenfields Uganda Ltd
  • Mr Steffen Kaeser, UNIDO
  • Debate

    • Read more about the Briefing “Meeting food safety standards: implications for ACP agricultural exports”

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    29th April 2009 – Fighting against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU): impacts and challenges for ACP countries

    April 7, 2009

    29-04-2343The 10th Brussels Development took place on 29th April 2009 (ACP Secretariat, Brussels) on “Fighting against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU): Impacts and challenges for ACP countries”.

    The Briefing reviewed the main economic, social and environmental challenges that IUU poses at global and regional levels, especially in the ACP context, and the existing global and regional initiatives against IUU. Moreover the 2008 EC regulation which aims to prevent and deter IUU fishing has been discussed, along with the challenges for its implementation in ACP countries and the need for technical assistance to comply with the new requirements.

    H. E. Barry Faure, Ambassador of Seychelles in Brussels and Chair of the ACP Ministerial Group on Fisheries explains the main issues on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU) of interest to the ACP group. He explains the impact of the Council Regulation establishing a European Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU and the challenges it poses to ACP countries exporting to the EU. He also gives us the background to the first ACP Council of Ministers on Fisheries to be held in Brussels in the first week of June.

  • See key documents on the subject and online resources
  • Press release
  • Press release (2)

    • Programme

    Programme and Objectives of the Meeting:
    Isolina Boto, CTA

    Introductory remarks:
    H.E. Barry Faure, Chair of the ACP Ministerial Working Group on Fisheries
    Cesar Deben, Director of monitoring and implementation , DG MARE, European Commission
    Ibrahim Khadar, Manager, CTA

    PANEL 1 – What do we know about IUU and how it affects ACP countries?
    This panel will review the main economic, social and environmental challenges that IUU present at global and regional levels, especially looking at the ACP context. It will review the existing global and regional initiatives against IUU and the role of the various stakeholders.
    - Estimating the Worldwide Extent of Illegal Fishing: the economics of IUU Fishing and the impact of IUU Fisheries on ACP countries, David J. Agnew, Division of Biology, Imperial College London [executive summary] [presentation (ppt)]
    - Closing the Gap Governance, Kieran Kelleher, Fisheries Team Leader, the World Bank [executive summary] [presentation (ppt)]
    - Overfishing and pirate fishing: more effective action needed, Saskia Richartz, EU Oceans Policy Adviser, Greenpeace International [executive summary] [presentation (ppt)]
    - The perspective of the small-scale fishermen, Samba Gueye, Secretary General, FENAGIE Pêche, Senegal

    Discussant: H.E. Hanno Burkhard Rumpf, Ambassador of Namibia

    PANEL 2 – The EC regulation and the challenges for its implementation in ACP countries
    What is the substance of the Council Regulation establishing a European Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU and what is the potential impact for ACP countries? What are the views, experiences and feedback form the private sector? What will be the needs of the ACP sector as to comply with the new requirements?
    - The EC community system to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU, Jean-Pierre Vergine, DG Mare, European Commission [executive summary] [presentation (ppt)]
    - The impact of the EC regulation on ACP countries and ACP responses, Martin Tsamenyi, Professor of Law, Director, the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong [executive summary] [presentation (ppt)]
    - Some views from the ACP private and public sector: Roy Bross, South African Deep Sea Trawling Industry Association (SADSTIA) [executive summary] [presentation (ppt)] , Pedro C. Celso, EVP- Managing Director of the RD Tuna Canners Ltd (Papua New Guinea) [executive summary] [presentation] , and Alois Kinol, National Fisheries Authority (Papua New Guinea) [executive summary] [presentation (ppt)]
    - The role of the ACP regional organizations in fighting IUU, Terrence Philips, Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) [executive summary] [presentation (ppt)]

    Discussant: H. E. Roy M. Joy, Ambassador of Vanuatu

    Conclusions: Ndiaga Gueye (FAO) and H.E. Joseph Ma’ahanua, Chair of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors

    • Programme
    • Profile of speakers and discussants
    • Reader
    • Evaluation Form
    • List of participants
    • Video material

      • Caribbean region concerns on fish exports
      Mr. Terrence Phillips from CRFM, which associate CARICOM member states, underlined that Caribbean states have a specific interest in the EU Regulation on IUU fishing because of its possible effects on exports of fishery products not only to the EU members’ states, but also to the EU overseas countries and territories in the region, as Martinique and Guadalupe. The new Regulation requires new resources to ensure that fish to be exported is ‘IUU free’ therefore, while stressing the importance of the Regulation and Caribbean countries’ commitment to address the IUU fishing issue, Mr. Phillips expressed his concerns about its future impacts.

      The dialogue among ACP countries and the EC plays a key role
      Mr. Cesar Deben, Director at the EC/DG MARE, emphasized the importance of dialogue among ACP and EC administration in charge of fisheries in order to better prepare the implementation of the EU Council Regulation on IUU Fishing which deals with fundamental issues as to protect fisheries resources and facilitate the access to the EU market at equitable conditions? To this end, a joint work is necessary – Mr. Deben stressed – and the EC is ready to support ACP countries to build up their capacities.

      (in French)

      A call for raising fisheries communities’ awareness
      M. Samba Gueye, General Secretary of the National Federation of Fishermen interests (FENAGIE Pêche) in Senegal emphasized the impacts of IUU fishing on fisheries industry and communities in developing countries. The damages to ecosystems, the non regulation and non surveillance represent major challenges for artisanal fishing. Extensive information and awareness raising, along with the possibility to build up again alietiques resources, are key efforts to undertake in order to let fishermen communities to resist IUU fishing.

      (in French)

      FAO role in the fight against IUU fishing
      As Head of Service in FAO Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and Secretary of FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI), M. Ndiaga Gueye stressed that IUU fishing represent a global challenge and that international community is increasingly involved in what can be qualified as a curse of modern times. From its part, FAO play a key role in dealing with fisheries issues within the UN system and has established a set of measures to fight and eradicate IUU fishing: in view of this, international negotiations for a legally-binding instrument on port State measures are currently under way. FAO also undertook several national and international initiatives in order to build developing countries financial and technical capacities to address IUU fishing.

      (in French)

      Flexibility in implementing the IUU Regulation: a private sector’s key concern
      Representing the South African Deep-Sea Trawling Industry Association (SADSTIA) – a non commercial trade organisation and industrial body – Mr. Roy Bross expressed its support for the objectives of the EU Regulation on IUU fishing. While realizing and accepting it would require increased costs, he stressed that the main trouble for South African fisheries industry relate to the possibility to continue developing business. In this sense, granting a certain degree of flexibility in implementing some aspects of the catch certification scheme foreseen by the Regulation represent, in his words, a critical issue.

      Assessing the impacts of IUU fishing
      Mr. David J. Agnew from MRAG synthesized the key results of a 2005 and a 2008 MRAG study on the impacts of IUU fishing: he estimated the overall loss for IUU fishing in 10 to 23 billion $ per year and stressed that there is no country, no fishing sector and no species which is not vulnerable to IUU fishing. In his opinion, the actions to be taken in order to fight the phenomenon should primarily focus around better control of fishing and licensing, as well as on banning fishing in areas where it could create economic damages to local communities or could hurt the local ecosystems.

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    Briefing “Land access and rural development: New challenges, new opportunities”: some reactions

    March 9, 2009

    What do participants to the 9th Briefing think about the discussions? We gathered some reactions

    H.E. Mr Ibrahim Bocar Ba, Ambassador of Mali to the European Union, chaired the first panel, which focused on “Land tenure and rural development: key issues”. H.E. Ba shares with us his views on the theme of the Briefing.

    (interview in French)

    Mr. Al Hassan Cissé, program manager of Right to Food within Action Aid Senegal, stressed the need to implement land reforms.

    (interview in French)

    Mr. François Bimogo, editor of the magazine Éclat d’Afrique.

    (interview in French)

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    Improving food security and right to food through land access

    March 9, 2009

    Given the increasing recognition of land issues in the development debate and the major challenge posed by the phenomenon of land acquisition, Mr Michael Taylor (International Land Coalition) concluded the meeting by stressing the importance to focus on people and notably on local land users. In this framework, he emphasized not only that local people right to access land and natural resources is part of the right to food, but he also noticed that their involvement in decisions concerning land in joint venture with the private sector could represent an opportunity to revitalize economies.

    Also Ms Cécile Broutin (GRET) pointed out the interlinkages between land issues and food security. Agricultural, land and trade policies should be coherently designed in order to promote a sustainable economic development with an efficient and equitable use of land and production means. In this framework, support to small scale farming appears to be key.

    (interview in French)

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    Increased pressures on available land

    March 7, 2009

    Panel 2 of the briefing focused on the recent massive increase in global commercial interest in land and natural resources and on the unprecedented pressures this is creating on land resources and land tenure systems.

    Lorenzo Cotula from IIED stressed the surge of investment flows to sub-Saharan Africa notably in the agri-food sector, driven by commodities demand and enabling policy reforms.

    From his part Paul Mathieu from FAO pointed out that climate change and carbon trading, production of biofuels, sovereign funds investment to produce food to be exported combine their effects to put new pressures and demands on land worldwide.

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    In order to better understand trends and drivers, FAO, IFAD and IIED are undertaking a study on land tenure and contractual arrangements, impacts on land access for rural people in recipient countries – with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. IIED is also participating in World Bank-led research to examine these issues in 30 countries worldwide. Both studies are still at an early stage.

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