1. UNECE Agricultural Quality Standards
Serguei Malanitchev
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

2. UNECE
Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards
How we develop standards and for which products
How we could better work together

4. Working Party + Specialized Sections
Fresh fruit and vegetables
Dry and dried produce
Seed potatoes
Meat
Equal rights for all UN Member States

5. 1949 Tasks Determine common standards
Suggest international mechanism for adoption and practical application control
At its first session, in October 1949, at the joint proposal of the delegations of Italy and Poland, our Committee on Agricultural Problems set up a “Working Party on Standardization of Perishable Foodstuffs”, with the task of:
• determining common standards for perishable foodstuffs
• studying steps to be taken on the international level in order to secure the general adoption of standards and control systems and, if necessary, of proceeding with the preparation of an international convention.

6. The WP has developed about 90 agricultural quality standards.

7. 2010 Adopted revised Standard Layout Aligned/revised 50 standards
2 sessions that year
Published explanatory brochure
Flexible, efficient, effective

8. 1952 First standards Apples and pears Seed and ware potatoes
“General provisions” by France and Italy
basis of today’s Standard Layout
The first two standards were published in 1952, “Apples and pears” and “Seed and ware potatoes”.
At it second session, in 1952, the Working Party agreed that identical general provisions could be formulated which are common to all fruits and vegetables. That led to the adoption of: “General provisions which may be applied in Europe for the commercial standardization and quality control of fresh fruit and vegetables moving in international traffic”, drawn up by France and Italy.

9. 1953 More binding character to recommendations
Origins of Geneva Protocol
More binding character to recommendations
Formal acceptance by countries
“General provisions” as centrepiece
Last revised 1985
At its fourth session in 1953, the Working Party decided to draw up a draft protocol on the standardization of fruit and vegetables, which UNECE Executive Secretary would submit to governments for approval. This document later evolved into the so-called “Geneva Protocol” .
The Protocol, not being a convention, was intended to give a more formal and binding character to the recommendations adopted by the Working Party; remaining, however, a particularly flexible legal form. The “general provisions” (i.e. the “standard layout” of that time) formed the basis of the first version of the Protocol. Countries were invited to inform the UNECE Executive Secretary whether they would be able to agree to the application of the provisions of the Protocol. It was periodically updated to take into account the changing trade practices, inspection procedures and national legislation.

10. “Geneva Protocol” to refer to Working Party activities
1. General provisions
Standard layouts (FFV and DDP)
2. Responsibilities of Working Party
Terms of reference, working procedures
3. Control certificate
Conformity certificate
“Geneva Protocol” to refer to Working Party activities
Over the past 25 years, the first part of the Protocol has evolved into two separate standard layouts for FFV and DDP, the latest revisions of which were adopted in 2010 and The second part has taken the form of the Terms of Reference and Working Procedures, adopted in The control certificate has become the Conformity Certificate, which was adopted in In other words, the 1985 Geneva Protocol document has become obsolete. However, the term “Geneva Protocol” is still used in the generic sense to refer to our activities in commercial agricultural quality standards.

11. Geneva Agreement
Replaces Geneva Protocol Offers framework for standards development Not regional Easy adherence Encourages international cooperation

12. 1962 21 UNECE standards obligatory for intra-community trade
UNECE and E(E)C
UNECE standards obligatory for intra-community trade
UNECE standards in EC regulations
EC Regulation 1580/ recognizes our standards
The Council of Ministers decided to apply UNECE standards, from 1 July 1962, to certain types of fruit and vegetables traded between member countries or imported from non-members. Adopted with slight changes by the EEC, 21 of UNECE standards had become obligatory for intra-community trade since 30 July 1962: apples and pears, tomatoes, cauliflowers, onions, lettuces and endives, apricots, peaches, plums, artichokes, cherries, strawberries, witloof chicory, spinach, table grapes, shelling peas, beans, carrots, lemons, oranges, mandarins and clementines.

13. General Marketing Standard
(Minimum quality requirements)
Intact
Sound; products affected by rotting are excluded
Clean
Free from pests
Free from damage caused by pest
Free of abnormal external moisture
Free of any foreign smell and/or taste

15. Interpreting UNECE standards since 1962
UNECE and OECD Scheme
Interpreting UNECE standards since 1962
Drawing up standards until 1996
Working on inspection methods
In 1962 the OECD Scheme for the Application of International Standards for Fruit and Vegetables started its work on interpreting UNECE standards to improve their practical application. This work has been carried out in close cooperation with the Working Party and its subsidiary bodies. The OECD Scheme adopts our standards as OECD standards and develops explanatory material to interpret them. The feedback from the OECD Scheme on the provisions in the standard layout and in individual standards has been regular and substantive. It worked on methods of determining minimum ripeness (iodine test for apples and Brix values for certain other fruits).
The important role of the OECD Scheme is fully recognized in the EC Regulation No. 1580/2007. Special references are made to methods of inspection, sampling and objective tests, all developed by the Scheme.

16. OECD Explanatory Brochures
“In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, the tomatoes must be:
- intact”
Tomatoes must not have any mutilation or injury spoiling the integrity of the produce.
Damaged tomato - Not allowed

17. UNECE Explanatory Brochures
Help grading
Reduce risk of rejection
Resolve disputes
All countries can participate

18. UNECE and Codex Alimentarius
UNECE standards starting point for Codex standards
Regional UNECE vs. global Codex

19. UNECE, OECD, Codex, EU How to work together on: Standards
Explanatory material
Inspection methods
Promotion
Capacity-building

20. UNECE, OECD, Codex, EU Could we set up a coordinating body
Could we have an integrated presentation of the programmes of work
Goals
Issues and problems
Strategic mid-term objectives
Outputs in the next two-three years
Meetings

21. Capacity-building 2009-10: Kenya, South Africa, Kyrgyzstan, Russia
2011:
- Chile (February)
- Tajikistan (August)
- Ghana (September)
- Moldova (October)
- Thailand (November)

22. Now for your questions, comments, ideas!