CropLife International / STDF event on margins of the WTO SPS Committee

Background:

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement establishes the global framework to safeguard human, animal, and plant health and facilitate trade, based on the use of international standards (Codex, IPPC and WOAH). Farmers worldwide rely on crop protection tools, including pesticides, to manage pests effectively and maintain yields that underpin their livelihoods and global food security.  This roundtable will engage WTO SPS Committee delegates on how improved pesticide management, collaboration and capacity building can reinforce food safety, reduce trade frictions and support sustainable agricultural development. It will draw on results and lessons from work by Crop Life International and the STDF. 

This roundtable will engage WTO SPS Committee delegates on how improved pesticide management, collaboration and capacity building can reinforce food safety, reduce trade frictions and support sustainable agricultural development. It will draw on results and lessons from work by Crop Life International and the STDF.

The Sustainable Pesticide Management Framework (SPMF), a global initiative led by CropLife International, demonstrates how responsible pesticide use reinforces food safety while supporting sustainable agricultural practices. By aligning pesticide management with international standards, the SPMF helps build stakeholder capacity in the Global South to ensure safe food production and access to global markets. This approach demonstrates how SPS measures, when science-based and harmonized with global norms, can serve as an enabler of trade, rather than a barrier.

The Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) has supported governments and the private sector in developing countries to meet Codex standards and address pesticide‑related challenges affecting trade. By promoting innovation and public private collaboration, including with CropLife and other partners, STDF projects have strengthened food safety and SPS systems to facilitate trade. This includes projects on biopesticides in Southern Africa, Asia and Latin America; minor use crops, as well as on cocoa in Africa and Asia; and on seeds in Asia.

Agenda:

13:15 – 13:45:  Arrival of attendees and light lunch 
13:45 – 14:00:  Welcome & opening remarks 

• Emily Rees - President & CEO, CropLife International.
• H.E. Dacio Castillo, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Honduras to the WTO.
• H.E. Manuel A.J. Teehankee, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the WTO.

14:00 – 14:15: Scene-setting: Brief presentation from CropLife and STDF

• Delisa Jiang, Sustainable Pesticide Management Framework Manager, CropLife International 
• Marlynne Hopper, Head, Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF)
• Emily Rees - President & CEO, CropLife International (Moderator)

14:20 – 14:45:  Discussion

Guiding Questions for Discussion among delegates:

1. Why is responsible pesticide management essential for improving food safety and enabling developing countries to access agri food markets globally?
2. What are the key challenges developing countries face related to pesticide MRLs impacting trade and what innovative solutions exist? 
3. How can regulatory cooperation and harmonization be strengthened to reduce trade challenges caused by pesticide MRLs and ensure that SPS measures protect food safety without creating unnecessary non-tariff barriers?
4. What can WTO Members do at the multilateral level to increase use of international standards and reduce unnecessary trade disruptions due to pesticide MRLs?

14:45 – 14:50: Event Conclusion

• Emily Rees, President & CEO, CropLife International 
• Marlynne Hopper, Head, STDF

^{About CropLife International: As a global voice and leading advocate for the plant science industry, we champion innovative technologies that help farmers grow more food on less land sustainably. We represent six of the world’s leading multinational R&D companies in the plant science sector by protecting intellectual property to foster a culture of innovation, advocating for trade and regulatory policies that facilitate access to new technologies, and ensuring the responsible and effective use of plant science innovations.}

^{About STDF: The STDF’s partnership brings together stakeholders across agriculture, health, trade and development to address persistent and emerging SPS challenges, and drive forward collaborative and innovative solutions to facilitate safe trade. STDF projects help public and private sector stakeholders in developing countries improve food safety, animal and plant health to facilitate safe trade. STDF has supported regional biopesticide projects, demonstrating how the use of biopesticides at the end of the crop growing period, alongside public-private collaboration and regulatory harmonization, could address pesticide MRL issues affecting trade.} 

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