Members review record SPS trade concerns; group weighs transparency challenges, solutions

Specific trade concerns

Members raised a new record high of 76 specific trade concerns (STCs) at the SPS Committee meeting. Twelve of the STCs were raised for the first time.

The new STCs included concerns related to food additives, additional treatment requirements due to foot and mouth disease (FMD) concerns, undue delays and lack of information on approval procedures, residues of pesticides and contaminants, and lack of adequate communication in relation to seeds and planting material. Several long-standing concerns were also raised, pertaining to pesticides, contaminants, endocrine disruptors, veterinary medicinal products, measures imposed in response to the discharge of Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)-treated water from the Fukushima nuclear powerplant, and undue delays and lack of transparency of import controls and approval processes.

Statistics from the Committee's annual report on transparency, prepared by the WTO Secretariat, confirm STCs as a critical tool for engagement on SPS matters, with both developed and developing members actively participating in the mechanism. Over 55% of concerns have been reported as resolved or partially resolved.

 A list of the STCs discussed is available in the Trade Concerns Database.

Transparency

The Transparency Working Group, created following a recommendation from the Sixth Review of the SPS Agreement, held its third meeting on 10 March under the stewardship of Fernando Catalán (Chile) and Sally Griffin (New Zealand). Members shared their experiences around improving the quality and clarity of notifications and on issues related to the ePing SPS&TBT Platform, proposing enhancements to the platform. The next meeting of the group is scheduled for 28 April 2026.

Members also heard updates on the STDF-funded project to improve the use of ePing. Implemented by the WTO Secretariat, the three-year project includes a needs assessment in five African countries -   South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania - and a WTO-wide survey on platform enhancements that will benefit all users.

During the meeting, members considered the committee's annual report on transparency. The 2025 report highlights a new record of 2,496 notifications, a positive sign of transparency, with notifications from developing economies accounting for about 80% of all notifications. Four least-developed countries (Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda) were among the top ten notifiers. The report also provides information on discussions on trade concerns and the relevant IT tools.

Schedule for 2026 thematic sessions/workshops and technical assistance

The committee discussed the scheduling of events for 2026 and beyond. Members agreed to hold a workshop on transparency in June 2026, which would benefit 30 participants from developing and least-developed members. Members also discussed the follow-up to the Thematic Session on Science-based SPS Import Controls to Facilitate Safe Trade as well as several proposals for future committee work.

The committee agreed to hold two thematic sessions in November 2026. The first will be on promoting transparency in sampling, testing and analytic methods used to determine compliance with SPS measures, based on a joint proposal by several members. The second session will be on hitchhiker pests in international trade, based on a proposal from Australia and Canada. The committee further agreed to hold a thematic session on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in the SPS area in March 2027, based on a proposal by Saudi Arabia.

A new edition of the WTO course "Essentials for SPS Committee Participation" will be held in October-November in French to enhance members' participation in the SPS Committee.

Information on events, workshops and training is available on the dedicated webpage.

Animal diseases

Several animal diseases were subject to STCs raised by numerous members. The application of restrictions in relation to African swine fever, avian influenza and FMD disease was once again raised as an issue of concern by the European Union, which it said were inconsistent with World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) standards. Brazil also shared an update on WOAH's new format for online presentation of official FMD status. A representative of WOAH shared an update on the second report of its observatory project, which monitors members' implementation of its standards.

Mentoring system

As part of the recommendations of the Sixth Review, the committee launched a new SPS mentoring system in June 2025. Established to assist developing and LDC members with respect to transparency and engagement on SPS matters, the pilot phase is currently benefiting five mentee/mentor relationships, who are working together for knowledge-sharing, peer learning and engagement on SPS-related issues.

Several members involved in the programme, including in the context of South-South cooperation, expressed their appreciation and support for the programme. Based on the feedback from this initial phase, the committee will consider whether to continue and possibly scale up the mentoring system after June 2026.

Update from the Standards and Trade Development Facility 

The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) updated members on its 2025-2030 Strategy as well as on the increasing number of requests for funding received, confirming the increasing trend. The next deadline to apply for funding is 1 August 2026. The STDF also organized a side event with CropLife International on responsible pesticide management. See the STDF website for more information. 

Next meeting

The next regular meeting of the committee is tentatively scheduled for 24-26 June 2026.