Lesson 3: SPS Agreement Principles
Topic 3: Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is a very important part of the SPS Agreement. In this topic you will learn about the different parts of risk assessment and the importance of scientific evidence in the risk assessment process.
Objectives:
- Describe the key parts of risk assessment as described in the SPS Agreement
- Explain the significance of scientific evidence in risk assessment
The SPS Agreement allows countries to give food safety and animal and plant health priority over trade, provided there is a demonstrable scientific basis for safety and health requirements. SPS measures must be based on risk. Risk is assessed by collecting and analyzing biological and economic information.
The first three items in Article 5 of the SPS Agreement relate to Member obligations with regard to assessment of risk.
- Members shall ensure that their sanitary or phytosanitary measures are based on an assessment, as appropriate to the circumstances, of the risks to human, animal or plant life or health, taking into account risk assessment techniques developed by the relevant international organizations.
- In the assessment of risks, Members shall take into account available scientific evidence; relevant processes and production methods; relevant inspection, sampling and testing methods; prevalence of specific diseases or pests; existence of pest- or disease-free areas; relevant ecological and environmental conditions; and quarantine or other treatment.
- In assessing the risk to animal or plant life or health and determining the measure to be applied for achieving the appropriate level of sanitary or phytosanitary protection from such risk, Members shall take into account as relevant economic factors: the potential damage in terms of loss of production or sales in the event of the entry, establishment or spread of a pest or disease; the costs of control or eradication in the territory of the importing Member; and the relative cost-effectiveness of alternative approaches to limiting risks.
Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.
The application of measures must be based on an assessment of risk. Techniques used to assess risk should take into consideration methods developed by international standard setting organizations (IPPC, OIE, WTO).
It is important that pest risk assessments are based on scientific evidence that is currently available. There is no minimum standard for the amount of information that is needed to conduct a risk assessment. Scientific evidence does not need to come from peer-reviewed journals, although the reliability of evidence is a very important consideration. A country must be prepared to produce and defend the evidence it used to assess risk. While the quality of evidence may be questioned, many different types of information can be used to assess risk.
In addition to scientific evidence, other types of information can also be used to assess risk. All relevant and credible information should be gathered and examined. Examples of other relevant information may include:
- Economic losses from direct damage by pest or diseases
- Loss of markets due the presence of pests or diseases
- Costs of control
- Application of different measures
Risk assessments do not need to be conducted by a government agency. For example, private industry, universities, and sub-national governments can conduct risk assessments, but the regulating authority of the importing country is responsible for any decisions made or measures taken as a result of the risk assessment.
The following video will help illustrate the process of conducting a Pest Risk Assessment.
In this topic, you learned that risk assessment is a central part of the SPS Agreement. Countries must make decisions based on an assessment of risk. That assessment must be based on scientific evidence, current conditions, and accurate estimates of potential economic loss.
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