October 18. 2021. The Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) conducted an orientation on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) for the TBT Focal Group on October 8, 2021, to enhance their appreciation of the importance of commenting on agriculture-related TBT and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) notifications.
Nineteen representatives from DA Regulatory Agencies who will be part of the TBT Focal Group, and 16 technical personnel from DA-Regional Field Offices (RFOs) attended the orientation.
The Orientation discussed the overview of World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreements on SPS and TBT. Resource speakers from DA-Policy Research Services (DA-PRS) and the Department of Trade and Industry - Bureau of Philippines Standards (DTI-BPS) shared their expertise.
Ms. Tisha Pia E. De La Rosa, Chief of Macro Economic Policy of DA-PRS, introduced the WTO and its role in trade negotiations. In her presentation, she briefly explained the structure of the WTO as well as the principles of the trading system.
Ms. Annalyn Lopez, Assistant Chief of Policy Research Service - Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries Policy Division (PRS-FAFPD), presented the WTO SPS Agreement. She elaborated the SPS Measures as the measure to protect human or animal health from risks, diseases, pests, disease-carrying, or disease-causing organisms; and, to protect the territory of a country from the damage due to entry and spread of pests.
Ms. Jasmin E. Metre from the DTI-BPS discussed the WTO TBT Agreement and its relation to the agriculture sector. Her presentation focused on the WTO TBT Agreement’s legitimate objectives, scope and coverage, and key principles. She elaborated that the Agreement covers both agricultural and industrial goods, including food packaging and labeling, agriculture and veterinary chemicals, fisheries, and forestry.
This activity aims to contribute to the Bureau’s overall goal of making agricultural produce globally competitive. ###
