When a Japanese meat inspector finds a small bone fragment in a box of beef, the entire shipment worth $200,000 could be destroyed.
These disputes need to be resolved, said the senior program manager of international sales at Cargill.
“It is important we get all these minor irritants out of the way to help the flow of business continue,” said Jeff Cline at the recent Canada Beef Export Federation annual meeting in Calgary.
Japan only accept boneless beef from animals younger than 21 months and when a mistake is made, the results are costly.
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A perishable product can be stalled at customs because the label was damaged or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency stamp is missing.
Such issues have not stopped access but they do slow trade because a product may sit on a loading dock until the problem is resolved.
UnderWorldTradeOrganizationrules, disagreements over food safety and animal and plant health measures, known as sanitary and phytosanitary measures, are common, said Geoff Adams of the foreign affairs department.
These measures are meant to protect human, animal and plant health so it is not uncommon for importers to be refused permits if they have misunderstood some of these measures.
However, basic food safety rules must be based on science and only applied to the extent they protect health. They should not be used to unreasonably discriminate against imports, said Adams.
The WTO SPS committee based in Geneva meets three times each year and looks at specific trade concerns.
Examples include a complaint from the United States over the way South Korea inspects fresh fruit and vegetables, a Canadian disagreement with Australia over salmon or the disagreement among Canada, the U.S. and the European Union over the use of growth hormones to produce beef.
Most SPS concerns are easily resolved but many claims are difficult to substantiate.
