Government Involvement in the SPS Agreement
The two key government organisations involved in making the SPS agreement work for New Zealand are the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade 
(MFAT). These organisations were both architects of New Zealand's contribution during the long years of the Gatt Uruguay round.
Since the settlement of those negotiations and the establishment of the WTO, MAF and MFAT officials have been working to develop bilateral and multilateral trade access agreements built on the platform provided by the SPS and other agreements. Other agencies such as the Ministry of Health also play a role, particularly in the setting of import measures.
Information on SPS measures
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Biosecurity Authority (MAF Biosecurity) channels information between New Zealand and its trading partners on SPS measures, in its role as New Zealand's SPS Notification Authority and SPS National Enquiry Point (SPS Contact Point).
Government-to-government negotiations
The reality of international trade access negotiations is far removed from the political glamour of the moment an agreement is signed. Successful negotiation is preceded by months or years of hard technical work by specialists at each end of the proposed trade route, working together with the trade negotiators in MFAT. They work in areas such as microbiology, veterinary epidemiology, engineering and statistics. Risk analysis is a key part of the process.
By putting government-to-government negotiations on a sound technical footing, the SPS agreement has given New Zealanders enormous leverage in world markets. This builds on the already-high technical standards set in this country, and the early establishment of risk analysis as a framework for standard setting.
MAF Biosecurity Authority is responsible for developing and setting standards for agricultural security, which includes most import standards relating to the protection of animal and plant health. MAF Biosecurity has developed policy statements to set out its stance on:
Resolving disputes
From time to time New Zealand challenges other countries' SPS measures as unfair. Using the greater transparency available through the SPS agreement, we are entitled to receive the scientific justification for another country's SPS measures.
Any New Zealand exporter encountering sanitary or phytosanitary restrictions which appear unjustified should discuss this with MAF or MFAT.
The SPS agreement includes mechanisms for governments to resolve differences over non-tariff barriers to trade. MAF and MFAT together negotiate with overseas trade officials, questioning and challenging such barriers. The main aim is to keep doors open before resorting to dispute settlement procedures.
More about the SPS Agreement
- Full-text version of the SPS Agreement PDF
(87 KB) - What does the SPS agreement cover?
- Benefits to importers
- Benefits to exporters
Page last updated: 21 July 2008