by Dr. Raphael COLY Agriculture Livestock Development & Interior Design

1. REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON INFORMATION/SENSITIZATION OF PRIVATE
SECTOR ON SPS (Standards and Regulation) – THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN SPS
WORK
ROLE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN THE SPS WORK
by Dr. Raphael COLY
Agriculture Livestock Development & Interior Design

2. OUTLINE
I. What is SPS? What is an SPS measure?
II. What is its importance for the actors and the country?
III. How to ensure its application?
IV. What is the role of the private sector in SPS activities
• Production
• Processing
• Trade/commerce
V. Participation and application
VI. Communication of SPS standards
Agriculture Livestock Development & Interior Design

3. I. What is SPS? What is an SPS measure?
• SPS – Sanitary and Phytosanitary
Sanitary = animal health & food safety
Phytosanitary = plant health
• An SPS measure is a measure taken to protect
Human or animal health
Human life
Animal or plant life
A country
Agriculture Livestock Development & Interior Design

4. II. What is its importance for the actors and the country?
 Implementation of an SPS measure will ensure:
Ability to produce safe food
Consumer right protection
Safe trade
Enable the government to negotiate with trading partners the
application of SPS measures (private sector participation)
Agriculture Livestock Development & Interior Design

5. III. How to ensure its application?
• Participate in its formulation up to its adoption in order to understand the
standard
• Participate in its domestication – national regulation
• Private sector training/sensitization and involvement
• Enforcement of the SPS measure with private sector understanding and
participation
• Publication and dissemination of the SPS measures
Agriculture Livestock Development & Interior Design

6. IV. What is the role of the private sector in SPS activities
 Private sector: producers/growers, processors, traders, etc.
Key actors and at the heart of the SPS work: express their ideas
Key members of the national SPS committees: ensure their concerns are
taken on board
Implementers of the SPS Agreement of the WTO:
Animal health OIE standards livestock operators
Plant health IPPC standards agribusiness operators
Food safety CODEX standards agri/livestock processors
Agriculture Livestock Development & Interior Design

7. V. Participation and application
Participation
Shall participate in the inter-sectoral dialogue of the national SPS
committee and play a key role in the compliance with the adopted
standards
Participate in the dissemination of the standards and in the trade
negotiations
Application
Regulators and private sector actors (implementers) should work together
to apply the standards and find solutions in case of any technical and
practical implementation issue
Regulators to follow up on the compliance process
Agriculture Livestock Development & Interior Design

8. VI. Communication of SPS standards
• Most African producers/operators are not aware that there are
standards to follow in the production/processing value chains
• In most African countries there are Bureaus of Standards
• Adopted national standards are not known or not disseminated to the
public
• Internationally adopted standards, in most cases, are not
domesticated and therefore not known by the producers/operators
and subsequently no compliance with
Agriculture Livestock Development & Interior Design

9. CONCLUSIONS
 Private sector actors are the producers, growers, processors, importers,
exporters, traders, etc.: they create wealth and they play an important role
in the national economy;
They play a central role in national SPS committees in providing their views
on the draft SPS standards
They, in most cases, influence the decision-makers on the direction to take
 They are key actors in the implementation of the SPS Agreement.
 They are good negotiators in the trading system
Agriculture Livestock Development & Interior Design

10. RECOMMENDATIONS
 Private sector operators being key actors in the implementation of the
SPS Agreement should be well informed in SPS standards and trained in
their application;
 They should participate in all SPS activities at national, regional and
international levels
 The governments should involve them in the trading system negotiations
 The private sector should play fully their role in national SPS committees
Agriculture Livestock Development & Interior Design

11. THANK YOU
FOR
YOUR KIND ATTENTION
Agriculture Livestock Development & Interior Design