Food and Agriculture: Enhance Food Safety and Facilitate Trade |
Initiative | Key Milestones | Status |
Establish or identify a North American food safety coordinating mechanism. This initiative includes: - cooperating in the design and development of common standards; - reviewing existing food safety standards to identify and assess, on a scientific basis, differences with a view to removing, where warranted and appropriate, those identified differences; - sharing of information on food safety matters; - collaborating effectively in the development of national positions for international food safety standard-setting bodies. | By March 2006, a trilateral task force will recommend options for implementation of a coordinating mechanism. | Completed |
By March 2006, develop a prioritized list of standards for review. | Completed |
By September 2006, review and compare the identified food standards to determine similarities, differences and scientific basis for the differences. | On track |
By March 2007, establish or identify an effective food safety coordinating mechanism facilitating the cooperative development of common North American standards, as appropriate, and the removal of identified differences in standards where warranted and appropriate. | On track |
By March 2006, explore ways to better coordinate between the NAFTA partners on Codex standards and international standard setting. | Completed / ongoing |
Speed up the identification, management and recovery from food safety, animal and plant disease hazards on a North American basis. This initiative includes: - import/border inspection policies; - plant health pest management initiatives coordinated by the North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO); | By December 2005, explore ways to implement electronic transmission of certificates for meat, poultry, animal health and plant health on a trilateral basis and other products as identified. | Completed / ongoing |
By September 2006, conduct a pilot project within one program area and by December 2006, report on the practicality of issuing electronic certificates. | On track |
By March 2006, develop standardized procedures concerning notification and follow-up actions taken due to non-compliance. | Delayed to March 2007 |
By March 2007, develop common approaches for border inspections of live animals. | On track |
By March 2007,explore ways to establish common certification criteria, where certificates are required. | On track |
By June 2006, develop standardized North American procedures and criteria to recognize pest-free areas. | On track |
By March 2006, develop a common approach to standardize the regulatory measures taken in response to Phakopsora pachyrhizi (soybean rust) pest detection based on the risk it presents to each country’s plant health status. | Completed |
By June 2006, complete a regulatory standard for North American imports of propagative material. | Completed |
By June 2006, complete a joint protocol for the commercial movement of biocontrol agents. | On track |
By December 2006, investigate the feasibility of joint preclearance programs for plant commodities shipped into North America. | On track |
By March 2007, jointly conduct offshore audits/evaluations of certification programs for certain plant commodities. | On track |
- animal health initiatives; | By June 2005, harmonize North American import approach for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) management. | Completed |
By March 2006, review, explore and report on approaches concerning feed, surveillance and risk management to optimize transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) management in a North American context. | Delayed to January 2007 |
By June 2006, develop harmonized risk mitigation and management approaches applicable throughout North America, including compartmentality (regionalization/disease-free zones), that are appropriate to the animal health disease status. | Delayed to March 2007 |
By June 2006, modify existing protocols with the goal of implementation in order to allow for the transit of products through the U.S. in which the process of transiting itself does not pose a risk to the U.S. | Delayed to March 2007 |
By March 2007, complete the respective regulatory approaches in each country to implement the harmonized import approach for BSE.. | On track |
- veterinary drugs and biologics; | By March 2007, review, explore and report on common technical standards for demonstrating the safety and efficacy of licensed/regulated animal health products (e.g. veterinary drugs and biologics) that may result in animal or zoonotic diseases (e.g. BSE, foot and mouth disease) or antimicrobial resistance. | On track |
By March 2007, report on differences and approaches to approval of veterinary drugs and vaccines and feasibility for further harmonization. | On track |
- labelling approaches. | By March 2007, utilizing trilateral mechanisms, explore common approaches to labelling, as feasible and appropriate, in key areas such as nutrition, allergens, production and process methods, organics, country of origin, highlighted ingredients and misleading claims. | On track |
Work to resolve differences in pesticide maximum residue limits that may be barriers to trade and undertake joint reviews of pesticide registrations. | By September 2005, complete collaborative data collection activities for pest control products to meet the needs of “minor crop” growers. (Note: minor crops include most fruits, nuts and vegetables. | Completed / ongoing |
Then by December 2005, select pest control products for joint review by governments and stakeholders and; | Completed |
By March 2006, complete joint reviews for simultaneous approval of selected pest control products. | Delayed to March 2007 |
By December 2005, develop a long-term trade irritant/risk reduction strategy for pulse crops and resolution of specific priority trade issues identified by stakeholders. | Delayed to March 2007 |
By December 2006, release final risk assessments based on a thorough re-evaluation of heavy-duty wood preservatives. | On track |
By September 2006, complete reviews for four to six conventional chemicals. | On track |