US import warning is one of the topics of the WTO meeting

China’s concerns about an import warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were one of six new topics discussed at a recent meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

At the June meeting of the WTO Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), delegates addressed trade concerns related to food safety and animal and plant health.

Members discussed 53 specific trade concerns, including six for the first time. Topics included animal diseases, delays in approval procedures, melamine contamination and maximum residue limits (MRLs) in food.

Concerns have also been raised about European Union measures on pesticide residues, pollutants, endocrine disruptors and veterinary medicines.

China defeated the U.S. FDA’s import warning by 99 to 30 over the dairy product seizure and melamine testing. Following consultations, China withdrew these trade concerns at a committee meeting in March.

The European Union addressed Colombia’s import restrictions due to African swine fever. India, Paraguay and Colombia expressed dissatisfaction with the non-renewal of the EU approval for the active ingredient thiacloprid. Another new topic was the import restrictions on food by Chinese Taipei.

Past Topics

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), African swine fever (ASF) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) continued to attract attention. Saudi Arabia lifted the remaining import bans on EU products imposed due to BSE.

Russian representatives again spoke about delays in Europe in renewing permits for fishing companies and fish products, as well as delays in South Africa in granting access for poultry, beef and pork, fish and seafood.

Chilean officials expressed dissatisfaction with the US’s unreasonable delay in publishing import regulations for table grapes, while Argentina and Brazil criticized the US’s delays in approving sweet citrus fruits.

Japanese officials discussed why China, Hong Kong and Russia should lift import restrictions on certain products following the release of water treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) in Fukushima.

For the fifth time, Canada expressed frustration over the ban on Chinese beef imports from Canada following a case of atypical BSE in 2021.

The next meeting of the SPS Committee is scheduled for 11-15 November 2024. It will include events and thematic sessions on emerging risks, modern challenges and Codex guidelines for voluntary third-party insurance programs.

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