Improving the Southern African agricultural sector’s ability to participate in ISSBs: quick guide

What we do

With this intervention, the RSP provides support to the Southern African agricultural sector to enable it to improve is ability to participate in international standards setting bodies so as to influence the pace and direction of international regulations that govern the trade in agri-food products.

SACAU, a regional private sector farmers' confederation and the RSP implementing partner on this project, provides and manages a number of services to SADC member countries, particularly in the horticulture and fisheries sectors. These include technical assistance to build linkages to national SPS contact points and to the ISSBs, and technical support for standards, which encompasses a technical mentoring service provided by the Consumer Goods Council of Southern Africa (CGCSA) - which recently launched a food safety technical-support subscription service - to support delegates attending ISSB meetings.

The RSP has also established an ISSB Attendance Grant Fund to sponsor Southern African delegates to attend official meetings of ISSBs.

Why this intervention

Standards which govern trade in agriculture and food products originate from a variety of sources. One important source of standards is the internationally agreed mandatory standards established by international standards setting bodies (ISSBs). With respect to communicable diseases in plants and animals, these are regulated under the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures. The two bodies responsible for these are the International Plant Protection convention (IPPC) and the International Office for Epizootics (OIE). In the case of food safety, these are also subject to international deliberations, under a joint FAO/ WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission that issues guidelines and codes of practice.
A recent review of SADC countries' participation in these various international bodies showed that, on average, only three SADC countries attended the last eight Codex meetings.
Therefore, the objective of this project is to develop southern Africa's long-term capacity to participate and contribute to these international standard setting bodies and processes. Interviews conducted in the region and with the secretariats of ISSBs have confirmed that where developing countries participate in the work of ISSBs, they are not only better able to comply with new standards but also ensure improved international harmonisation with their own domestic standards.

What we achieve

Regional delegates now attend and participate in international standards body meetings on a regular and representative basis. Two delegates (one from the public and one from the private sector) from each of seven SADC countries attend two meetings of the WTO SPS Committee. In terms of Codex, seven SADC country delegates are sent to each of five separate committees for one meeting, while seven delegates attend two meetings of the IPPC. Where the OiE is concerned, one public and one private sector representative from each of four coastal countries (Angola, Namibia, Mozambique and Tanzania) attend two meetings of or related to the Aquatic Committee.

Who we work with

Southern Africa Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU)

SACAU is a regional farmers' organization that seeks to represent the interests of farmers in Southern Africa on regional and international matters.