Links to Sites Related to the SPS Agreement

DISCLAIMER: The views contained in documents authored by individuals and organisations external to the New Zealand Government are solely their own. The reproduction of these documents does not mean that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry or the New Zealand Government endorses or agrees with in any way the contents of these documents. They have been reproduced solely in the interests of transparency and information and ease of access for stakeholders interested in SPS issues.

Internet resources contains links to websites that are not part of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry assumes no responsibility for the content or availability of any external site, however we would appreciate feedback about any dead links in order to keep this resource as useful and current as possible.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/

FSANZ is a partnership between the Australian Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand governments. It is an independent, expert body. It is responsible for developing, varying and reviewing standards for food available in Australia and New Zealand and for a range of other functions including coordinating national food surveillance and recall systems, conducting research, assessing policies about imported food and developing codes of practice with industry.

Codex Alimentarius
http://www.codexalimentarius.net/

The Commission was established by the governing bodies of FAO and WHO in 1962 to implement the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, to which FAO contributes about 80 percent and WHO 20 percent. The Programme's purpose is to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade by initiating and guiding the preparation, finalisation, publication and revision of international food standards and by promoting the coordination of all food standards work undertaken by international organisations. Membership of the Commission is open to members and associated members of FAO and WHO. Current membership is 164.

The International Plant Protection Convention
http://www.ippc.int/

IPPC is a multilateral treaty deposited with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and administered through the IPPC Secretariat located in FAO's Plant Protection Service. One hundred and eleven (111) governments are currently contracting parties to the IPPC.

The purpose of the IPPC is to secure common and effective action to prevent the spread and introduction of pests of plants and plant products and to promote measures for their control. The Convention provides a framework and forum for international cooperation, harmonisation and technical exchange in collaboration with regional and national plant protection organisations (RPPOs and NPPOs). The IPPC plays a vital role in trade as it is the organisation recognised by the World Trade Organization in the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the SPS Agreement) as the source for international standards for the phytosanitary measures (ISPMs) affecting trade.

Office International des Epizooties
http://www.oie.int/

The OIE is an intergovernmental organisation created by the international agreement of 25 January 1924 signed by 28 countries. In December 1999, the OIE comprised of 155 member countries. As the world organisation for animal health, the main objectives of the OIE are to inform governments of the occurrence and course of animal diseases throughout the world and of ways to control these diseases; coordinate, at the international level, studies devoted to the surveillance and control of animal diseases; and harmonise regulations for trade in animals and animal products among member countries.

The World Trade Organization
http://www.wto.org

The WTO is the only international organisation dealing with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible. It was established on 1 January 1995 and has as of 11 April 2000, 136 members.
Documents online
WTO SPS webpage

Page last updated: 30 April 2008