• Paper on Trade Facilitation

The application of SPS standards is an important dimension in the expansion of world trade in high-value perishable products, to the extent that such standards enable the effective management of risks associated with the spread of plant and animal pests and diseases and the incidence of microbial pathogens or contaminants in food. With globalization, trade is expanding and compliance to the SPS Agreement will definitely help Mauritius in the trade of agricultural commodities, however we also have to address various policy issues such as strengthening out national SPS framework. This is more so given that the country will be facing stringent economic environment following the erosion of our trade preferences in the context our Sugar protocol with the EU. Given this difficult situation, development initiated for compliance with the SPS Agreement would experience considerable impediment in their implementation and therefore any technical assistance would be most welcomed. More so, given that SPS policies will likely become more complex and enforcement more stringent as trade becomes even more liberalized and as consumer safety remains high on the agenda of many countries.