UNECE 1 Seminar on the Implementation of UNECE Standards in Trade Vilnius, Lithuania, 29 October 2004 Tom Heilandt United Nations Economic Commission for Europe UNECE Standards for Agricultural Products in Trade: Development and Implementation

UNECE 2 Outline About UNECE UNECE Standards for Agricultural Produce Meat as a commodity Why meat standards? UNECE Standards for Meat

UNECE 3 UNECE? UNECE = United Nations Economic Commission for Europe One of the 5 regional commissions of the UN 55 member states in Europe, Asia and North America Around 200 employees Founded 1949 and located in Geneva Work areas: Transport, Trade, Environment, Industry/Energy, Economic Analysis, Statistics

UNECE 4 Trade in agricultural products in the ECE region in 1949 Countries use national quality standards to regulate trade within their borders Producers market Growing interest in international trade Existing national regulations become barriers to international trade

UNECE 5 Harmonization of national standards 1949 The Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards takes up its work at UNECE in Geneva 1954 The Geneva Protocol and Standard Layout are adopted 1991 UNECE begins development of meat standards

UNECE 6 Organizational Structure Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Dry and Dried Fruit Seed Potatoes Meat Specialized Section on Standardization of Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development ECOSOC Economic Commission for Europe

UNECE 7 Standards are needed… To define common trading language for all actors in the supply chain To facilitate fair international trade To avoid bad quality products on the markets To guide producers to meet market requirements To build trust and market opportunities To encourage high quality production To improve producers’ profitability To protect consumers’ interests Remove technical barriers to trade

UNECE 8 Principles for the Development of UNECE Standards All relevant actors in the supply chain (buyers, sellers, retailers, producers, consumers etc. through their associations) should participate Cooperation with other international organizations should be sought and any duplication avoided All UN member countries can participate with the same rights Decisions are taken on a consensus basis

UNECE 9 UNECE Agricultural Standards Fresh fruit and vegetables (49) Eggs and egg products (5) Dry and dried Fruit (17) Potatoes (3) Meat (4) Cut flowers (8) Standards available

UNECE 10 UNECE Standard European Commission Codex Alimentarius Commission Regulation Codex Standard Explanatory Brochure OECD Scheme National Authorities National Standard/ Regulation Possibilities for Implementation of UNECE standards Trade Standard

UNECE 11 Implementation of rules Mandatory rules are implemented because their non-implementation would have severe consequences (legal or financial) Recommendations are implemented because: –it makes sense, –it is demanded by the buyer, –Everybody uses them

UNECE 12 Trading in meat is expensive and difficult A Non-standard raw material

UNECE 13 A complicated commodity Meat is a complicated commodity Many different actors are involved

UNECE 14 A long distribution chain… farmer with cow transport cattle market transport consumer abattoirs packing plant supermarket factory butcher restaurant abattoirs

UNECE 15 Common interest In a long distribution chain most actors are customers and sellers All have a common interest in understanding each other and Ensuring the product quality and safety

UNECE 16 Many rules from the stable to the table There are international rules: Codex Alimentarius, OIE, UNECE, ISO, World Customs Organizations etc. There are implementations of international rules and proprietary rules in countries and regional country groupings (e.g. European Union) There are private rules: Global food safety initiative, Eurepgap There are WTO rules about how rules should be made in order to ensure fair trade

UNECE 17 “Administrative” Rules Rules about customs procedures Rules about transport and handling Rules about labelling and accompanying documents Etc.

UNECE 18 “Quality rules” for the process and the product The expected properties as broadly defined in ISO 9000:2000: “The totality of features and characteristics of a product, process or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs” "excellence" – something that distinguishes from similar objects that justifies demand.

UNECE 19 Expected properties: Generic quality level of food products Absence of defect, fraud and adulteration (e.g. food safety, quality defects) – regulated in food safety and quality standards Presence of expected properties (e.g nutritional components, external and internal quality aspects) – regulated or starting to be in food quality or labelling standards

UNECE 20 Excellence: Specific quality of food products Added value through: –Forms of production (organic farming, environmental consideration, animal welfare), –Specific production areas (designation of origin) and their associated traditional production methods. High interest in this area: –Operators try to distinguish their products from similar ones to attract customer attention and fidelity –Regulators provide a legal framework.

UNECE 21 Why do we need a common language for meat? Consider a pork belly boneless & rindless –Denmark 1808 –British –British (Meat Buyers Guide) 314 (only bone in) –USA (NAMP-Meat Buyers Guide) 409 –USA (NPPC) 3620 –Aus 4332 (single ribbed)

UNECE 22 Why do we need a common language for meat? Long distribution chain with critical processes to control Specification is primarily visual Normal communications are non-visual Product is primarily judged on appearance

UNECE 23 Cost of problems Consumer confidence in product performance Buyer and seller interface confidence Increasingly expensive quality control Expensive communications – travel –time & resources

UNECE 24 A new system Imagine a system that enables all parties in the distribution chain to have the same unambiguous specification for transactions –the same picture –the same language –the same critical information (weight, colour, texture, cutting lines) –All of this applicable to standard and non-standard requirements

UNECE 25 Applications Government and other official bodies Health professionals Meat inspection services Meat purchasing (commercial and official) Meat traders and meat plants Training organisations Veterinary (practice and training)

UNECE 26 UNECE Standards for Meat Porcine Meat - Carcases and Cuts currently being revised Bovine Meat - Carcases and Cuts Ovine Meat - Carcases and Cuts Chicken Meat - Carcases and Parts – 2004 Llama/Alpaca Meat Other standards planned: Goat, Turkey, Veal

UNECE 27 Minimum requirements

UNECE 28 Purchaser specified requirements

UNECE 29 Primal cuts

UNECE 30 Cut descriptions

UNECE 31 Bovine 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

UNECE 32 Implementation of UNECE Standards for Meat UNECE Standards for Meat are Recommendations They define a common trading language for buyers and sellers The more they are used – the more useful they become They are used because they facilitate trade and ensure customer satisfaction and repeat business

UNECE 33 Participation in different committees Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Lithuania, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, European Community

UNECE 34 Why participate in standardization? To be integrated in the international trading system (to contribute and decide) To propose standards for local products for which international standards do not exist To network, exchange experiences, learn from others

UNECE 35 UNECE standards and meeting information on the internet