1 EAN International General Assembly Dublin, 10 May 2001 Tom Heilandt Agricultural Standards Unit, UN/ECE Trade Division UNECE Agricultural Standards Trade Facilitation, Quality and Safety through International Harmonization

2 Outline UNECE: data, mission, services and work areas Agricultural Standards: overview, role, development, challenges and application Example: Standards for Meat Cooperation with EAN: present, future Questions, discussion

3 E CONOMIC C OMMISSION for E UROPE U NITED N ATIONS

4 ESCWA - Beirut ECA - Addis-Abeba ESCAP - Bangkok ECLAC - Santiago ECE - Geneva 5 REGIONAL COMMISSIONS OF THE UNITED NATIONS

5 UNECE Data Set up in 1947 by ECOSOC 55 member States in North America, Asia and Europe 200 employees

6 UNECE Mission Encourage greater economic cooperation among its member states Facilitate trade between member states and beyond in all stages of the supply chain Encourage sustainable development of its member states

7 UNECE Services Evaluate the economical situation in the UNECE area Provide a forum for governments to develop conventions, regulations and standards Provide technical assistance to facilitate integration of member states

8 UN/ECE Working Areas Economic Analysis Statistics Energy Environment and human settlements Transport Trade

9 TRADE UN/CEFACT Investment Promotion Timber Agriculture Industry and Enterprise Development

10 UNECE Work Highlights Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution UN/EDIFACT, UN/LOCODE Convention on Public Participation TIR Convention Convention on Road Signs and Signals Agreement on Construction of Vehicles Agreement on Transport of Dangerous Goods, E-Road Network Economic Survey and Bulletin Agricultural Quality Standards

11 Agricultural Standards Fresh fruit and vegetables (46) Eggs and egg products (5) Dry and dried Fruit (17) Potatoes (3) Meat (3) Cut flowers (8)

12 UNECE offers a forum for the development of harmonized agricultural quality standards To facilitate fair international trade To encourage high quality production To improve producers’ profitability To protect consumers’ interests

13 Why UN/ECE Standards? Facilitate fair international trade Encourage high quality production Improve producers’ profitability Protect consumers’ interests

14 Role of UN/ECE standards To define a common international trading language To fill the gap between food safety regulations and marketing To define commercial quality for foodstuffs

15 QUALITY Food safety Nutrition Production methods Shape Presentation/ Cut Colour Taste Ripeness/ Freshness

16 How are the standards developed? International Meetings Experts from all UN and UNECE member countries and observer organisations Consensus

17 How are the standards developed? All UN and UNECE member countries can participate with the same rights International organisations give input and use the standards International producer, retailer, import/export or consumer organisations are welcome to cooperate and give advice Decisions are taken on a consensus basis

18 Challenges Encourage all relevant parties (buyers, sellers, producers, consumers etc.) to participate Define quality in a way that is acceptable to all participants Avoid building technical barriers to trade Define interior quality in the most efficient and least expensive way Encourage widespread use of the standards

19 Organizational Structure Working Party on Standardisation of Perishable Produce and Quality Development Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Dry and Dried Fruit Early and Ware Potatoes Seed Potatoes Meat Specialized Section Economic Commission for Europe Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development

20 Process of elaborating a standard Specialized Section and Working Party agree to create/amend a standard Rapporteur prepares/amends text Specialized Section discusses text in detail Working Party discusses text in general UN/ECE Recommendation for a 2+1 year trial period UN/ECE Standard

21 UNECE Standard European Commission Codex Alimentarius Commission Regulation Codex Standard Explanatory Brochure OECD Scheme Application of UNECE Standards Government National Standard

22 UN/ECE Standard GE.1WP.7 Rapporteur/ Working Group EU Management Committee for FFV EU Commission CCFFV CAC EU Marketing Directive Codex Standard Rapporteur Explanatory Brochure OECD Scheme Plenary Produce WG Development and Application of UN/ECE Standards

23 Application and co-operation with other organisations European Union: uses UN/ECE standards as a basis for its regulations FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme (Codex Alimentarius): takes UN/ECE standards into account when elaborating Codex standards OECD Scheme: uses UN/ECE standards and develops explanatory brochures based on them WTO: UN/ECE has observer status in several committees

24 Implementation of quality standards Set up a national control authority for exports (guidelines are available from OECD/UNECE) Adopt international quality standards Work with producers and exporters on achieving the quality demanded

25 Standardization of Meat: Bovine Carcases and Cuts Objective: –To create an international language for Bovine Carcases and Cuts –Focus on Product Description and Handling Start of the work: 1994 Contributors: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, European Community, EAN Brazil, EAN International, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Poland, Paraguay, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and Uruguay

26 Example: Bovine Carcases and Cuts Objective: –To create an international language for Bovine Carcases and Cuts –Focus on Product Description and Handling Start of the work: 1994 Contributors: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, European Community, EAN Brazil, EAN International, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Poland, Paraguay, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and Uruguay

27 Bovine Carcases and Cuts: Structure of the Standard General Requirements (formulated species independent and applicable to all UN/ECE Standards for Meat, definition of the meta code) Bovine Specific Requirements (Definition of the specific code structure) Bovine Carcases and Cuts Descriptions (textual and pictorial description of the cuts and products)

28 Bovine Carcases and Cuts: Coding (01) Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) (3102) Net Weight, kilograms (7002) UN/ECE Meat Carcasses and Cuts Code (13) Slaughter/Packaging Date (10) 123ABC- Batch Number

29 (01) Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) (3102) Net Weight, kilograms (13) Slaughter/Packaging Date (21) Serial Number Bovine Carcases and Cuts: Coding

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32 Traceability/safety for food products Assumption: trade is in favour of implementing procedures for traceability and safety Assist trade in establishing/refining their own control Promote the application (if necessary the development) of internationally harmonized tools to implement traceability along the supply chain Promote internationally harmonized instruments for monitoring by governments

33 Meat Standards in preparation UN/ECE Standard for Ovine Carcases and Cuts UN/ECE Standard for Poultry Meat and Products

34 Future Co-operation of UN/ECE and EAN International Definition of coding for ovine and poultry meat products Creation of an internationally recognised list of trade descriptions and classification codes for fruit and vegetables On the basis of the classification codes define procedures and messages for electronic commerce

35 UN/ECE standards on the internet