EU submits more SPS notifications in 2024

The European Union reported more sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) alerts in 2024 than the year before, with many of them relating to food safety.

In 2024, 2,147 SPS notifications were submitted by World Trade Organization (WTO) members, which was an 8 percent increase compared to 1,994 in 2023.

The EU authority responsible for implementing notification requirements of the SPS Agreement is DG Sante. The EU submitted 147 notifications in 2024 — an 18 percent rise from 125 the year before. This moved the EU from fourth to third place. Brazil was in first position again with 219, because of the notification of pesticide Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs), followed by Uganda with 155. The U.S. was eighth with 77 notifications while Canada was tenth with 73.

The European Union said the number of SPS notifications and the regulatory dialogue with WTO members was likely to intensify even further in the future.

Most notices issued by the EU concerned feed additives, followed by pesticides. Food safety remained by far the area generating the most SPS notifications at 66 percent, followed by animal health at 22 percent. To handle the growing number of notifications and to fulfil EU transparency obligations, DG Sante has its own SPS database.

Notification comments
Despite being at war, Ukraine published 32 SPS notifications in 2024 while Cambodia submitted its first ones.

EU notifications continued to attract interest from trade partners with China, the United States and Canada as the most active commenters on EU legislation, either in writing or in the form of Specific Trade Concerns (STC). A draft EU Commission regulation on maximum residue levels for dithiocarbamates in or on certain products triggered the most comments, with queries from seven WTO members.

The EU sent comments on 35 notifications, with the focus on a series of suspensions of the import/transit of live poultry, domestic and wild pigs and their carcasses from certain member states.

There was continued pressure around the EU policy on pesticide MRLs in general, setting MRLs on environmental grounds and endocrine disruptors. The EU review of legislation on veterinary medicinal products also raised criticism.

Missing, late, and incomplete notifications continue to be a concern and WTO members are trying to improve the quality of SPS-related dialogue. Recurring problems, like the availability of translated documents in one of the WTO official languages, continue to be discussed.

German support
Meanwhile, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is contributing €600,000 (U.S. $627,700) to the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF).

Money will help developing economies and least-developed countries (LDCs) meet international food safety, animal, and plant health standards for trade and improve access to global and regional markets.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Director-General, said: “By focusing on SPS improvements in developing countries, the STDF addresses key trade and development issues that cross borders and directly impact people’s wellbeing and livelihoods. Robust SPS systems and the capacity to manage SPS risks are global public goods.”

German funding will strengthen SPS capacity and help developing economies address challenges in their domestic agricultural and food systems.

Dr. Ariane Hildebrandt, director general at BMZ, said: “We strongly believe that safe trade contributes to food security and income generation in our partner countries. However, we also recognize the challenges that partner countries face in dealing with the effects of climate change, multiple crises, and rising trade standards.”

STDF was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the World Bank Group, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the WTO.

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Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/02/eu-submits-more-sps-notifications-in-2024/