Summary
The
World Trade Organization Agreement on the Application of Sanitary
and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) provides a framework
for managing biosecurity risks in imported agricultural products,
under which risk management measures applied to imported goods must
be based on a scientific risk assessment. The most important consideration
within this framework is the concept of the appropriate level of
protection, which member countries are obliged to specify. Practical
application of this framework for the importation of animals and
animal products has revealed less objectivity than initially envisaged,
both for the assessment of risks and for the risk-reduction effect
of safeguards. Scientific uncertainty means that there is considerable
room for contention between groups in favour of and opposed to a
particular import. This environment means that acceptable risk decisions
are to a large extent subjective in nature, requiring a participatory
approach on a case-by-case basis involving a range of stakeholders.
Keywords
Animals,
Animal diseases, Animal products, Biosecurity, Imports, New Zealand,
Risk, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement, Trade. |