Climate change is already affecting food safety, and animal and plant health, warns a briefing note from the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), a global multi-stakeholder partnership which is housed at the WTO and that seeks to facilitate safe and inclusive trade.
Policies in these areas – known as sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures – are among topics highlighted in a separate WTO publication that was launched at COP28 on 4 December, and which urges countries to consider trade policies in food and agriculture as part of their efforts to ratchet up climate ambition.
The upcoming General Council meeting is also set to consider a draft ministerial decision on SPS measures put forward by the African Group on 6 December.
Ahead of MC13, WTO members are continuing talks aimed at identifying and addressing challenges and opportunities in the implementation of the organisation’s SPS Agreement.
The agreement is among tools the WTO has to combat illicit trade in food and food fraud, DDG Paugam said, in remarks on 11 December at the organisation’s annual agriculture symposium.