Foodlaw-Reading

Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK

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Food Law News - FAO / WHO / WTO / Codex - 2015

WTO News Item, 2 November 2015

WTO/ FAO - WTO and FAO to collaborate on trade and food safety

The leaders of the WTO and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations announced on 2 November their agreement to collaborate on the issue of trade and food safety. WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo and FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva agreed at the FAO headquarters in Rome that the two organizations will look into how sanitary and phytosanitary standards and food safety can facilitate trade and promote development.

In his opening remarks, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said: “In many countries, agriculture remains important in driving economic growth and rural employment. Their agricultural sectors make different contributions to the achievement of food security and nutrition. There are also growing expectations that WTO rules will ensure that food imports are not only safe, but also contribute to healthy diets and better nutrition.”

 “The WTO and the FAO have quite different mandates, but we have many shared aims,” said DG Azevêdo in his remarks. “I think it's clear that trade and the multilateral trading system can help in creating a more favourable environment for food security, food safety and sustainable agriculture.”

DG Azevêdo announced that the WTO will look into how standards on food safety and animal and plant health — or sanitary and phytosanitary standards — can facilitate trade and promote development, among other related issues. This collaboration will lead to a joint publication next year, fostering further action in this important area.

In a speech to FAO delegates, Director-General Azevêdo also discussed the agriculture-related agreements being negotiated at the upcoming WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya. He noted that export competition may be a possible deliverable for Nairobi. “The elimination of agricultural export subsidies, and measures with equivalent effect, would be especially important for developing and least developed countries,” said DG Azevêdo.

For a copy of the speech given by DG Azevedo, see: https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/spra_e/spra95_e.htm

See also: 2 November 2015 FAO / WTO - Food safety and trade should improve nutrition and boost development: Small-scale producers in developing countries must access world markets says WTO's Azevêdo


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