Adverse
event — Any undesirable occurrence in health of plant or animal.
Administrative
Procedure Act (APA) – The U.S. law governing the rulemaking process.
Affected With –
A country is affected with a disease when
animals infected with that disease are present in the country and the disease
is established there.
Agreement on Agriculture
(AoA) – Negotiated in the 1986–94 Uruguay Round, it
is a significant first step towards fairer competition and a less distorted
sector. WTO member governments agreed to improve market access and reduce
trade-distorting subsidies in agriculture. In general, these commitments were
phased in over a six-year period, starting in 1995 (10 years for developing
countries). (Source: WTO)
Agreement on the Application of
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) –
Sets out the basic rules for food safety and animal and plant health standards.
Entered into force on January 1, 1995.
Allowable Pesticide Residues –
The limits to how much of a pesticide can
remain on food and feed products. In the United States, these limits are
established by the Environmental Protection Agency and referred to as
"tolerances".
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS) – Makes a significant contribution to the value of the Nation’s food
supply by protecting U.S. agricultural resources from pests and diseases,
managing wildlife damage, regulating genetically engineered organisms, and
administering the Animal Welfare Act. APHIS programs integrate plant and animal
disease surveillance, epidemiology, emergency response, and information
delivery to ensure the marketability of U.S. agricultural products. APHIS also
works to resolve and manage trade issues related to animal or plant health.
(Source: USDA)
Animal
Health Protection Act
– Grants authority to APHIS to prohibit or
restrict import of any animal, article, or means of conveyance, to prevent the
spread of pests or diseases of livestock.
Appellate Body
– An independent seven-person body that considers appeals in WTO disputes. When
one or more parties to the dispute appeal, the Appellate Body reviews the
findings in panel reports. (Source: WTO)
Appropriate Level of Protection
(ALOP) – The SPS Agreement defines the appropriate level of sanitary or
phytosanitary protection as the level of protection deemed appropriate by the
Member establishing a sanitary or phytosanitary measure to protect human,
animal, or plant life or health within its territory. This concept is also
referred to as the acceptable level of risk. (Source: SPS Agreement)
Areas of Low Pest Prevalence –
An area, whether all of a
country, part of a country, or all or parts of several countries, as identified
by the competent authorities, in which a specific pest occurs at low levels
and which is subject to effective surveillance, control, or eradication measures. (Source:
IPPC, 1997)
Avoidance of Undue Delay – Contracting parties
should ensure that inspection or other phytosanitary procedures required at
import take place as promptly as possible with due regard to perishability
of the regulated article.
BICON – Biosecurity Import
Conditions database for Australia.
Bilateral Agreement
– A binding contract between the two parties that have agreed to mutually
acceptable terms.
Bill of Lading–
a document issued by the shipper of a particular commodity that specifies the
type, quantity and destination of the commodity.
Biotype - There is no accepted regulatory
definition of biotype. In general, we think of a biotype as a population
distinguished from other populations of its species by specific traits such as
pest-host adaptations, presence or absence of a particular gene.
Bound Quotas
– A limited quantity of a particular product, which, under official controls,
can be produced, exported, or imported.
Bound Tariffs
– Commitment not to increase a rate of duty beyond an agreed level. Once a rate
of duty is bound, it may not be raised without compensating the affected
parties. (Source: WTO)
Capacity Building
– A conceptual approach to development that focuses on understanding the
obstacles that inhibit people, governments, international organizations, and
non-governmental organizations from realizing their developmental goals, while
enhancing the abilities that will allow them to achieve measurable and
sustainable results.
CAPRA –
Computer-assisted pest risk analysis. This is software to assist with
performing PRAs.
Centers for Disease Control —
A component of the United States government. Its mission is collaborating to
create the expertise, information and tools that people and communities need to
protect their health. They do this through health promotion, through prevention
of disease, injury and disability, and through preparedness for new health threats. (Source:
cdc.gov)
Certification – An official document which attests
to the phytosanitary status of any consignment affected by phytosanitary
regulations. (Source: ISPM 5)
Clearance Process –
Verification
of compliance with phytosanitary regulations. (Source: FAO, 1995)
Code Commission
– Responsible for ensuring that the Terrestrial Animal
Health Code (the Terrestrial Code) reflects current
scientific information. The Terrestrial Code contains trade standards for
terrestrial animals and their products.
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) – The codification of the rules published in the Federal
Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
Codex Alimentarius
(Codex)
– International food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice that
contribute to the safety, quality, and fairness of this international food
trade.
Codex Alimentarius
Commission – FAO/WHO commission that deals with
international standards on food safety. (Source: WHO)
Codify –
To collect
together and organize into a code.
Commercial Consignment –
A
quantity of plants, plant products, and/or other articles
being moved from one country to another and covered, when required, by a single
phytosanitary certificate (a consignment may be composed of one or more commodities or lots).
(Source: FAO, 1990; revised ICPM, 2001)
Commission on Phytosanitary Measures
(CPM) – The members of the Commission are the contracting parties to the IPPC
and are responsible for implementing the work program of standards development,
information exchange, and capacity building.
Competent Veterinary Authority –
The veterinary authority or other
governmental authority of a Member. This authority has the responsibility and
competence for ensuring or supervising the implementation of animal health and
welfare measures, of international veterinary certifications, and of other
standards and recommendations in the Terrestrial Code and in the OIE Aquatic
Animal Health Code in the country.
Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) –
A global partnership that unites organizations engaged in research for a food
secure future.
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
– Has three main objectives: the conservation of biological diversity, the
sustainable use of the components of biological diversity, and the fair and
equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic
resources.
Conveyance
– A means of transport.
Customs Unions
– Members apply a common external tariff (e.g., the European Union). (Source:
WTO)
Delimiting surveillance —
Survey conducted to establish the boundaries of an area considered to be
infested by a pest, or is free from a pest.
Developing Countries
– (Also known as Least-Developed Countries) The WTO recognizes as
least-developed countries (LDCs) those countries that have been designated as
such by the United Nations.
Dispute -
Arises when a Member government believes another Member government is violating
an agreement or a commitment that it has made in the WTO. The authors of these
agreements are the Member governments themselves; the agreements are the
outcome of negotiations among members. (Source: WTO)
Dispute Settlement
– A system in which Member countries have agreed that, if they believe fellow
Members are in violation of WTO agreements, they will use the multilateral system
of settling disputes instead of taking action unilaterally,
This entails abiding by agreed WTO procedures and
respecting judgments, primarily of the Dispute Settlement Body. (Source: DSB)
Dispute Settlement Body
(DSB) – Made up of all member governments, usually represented by ambassadors
or equivalent, who meet to settle trade disputes. (Source: WHO)
Docket –
A docket is a collection of documents
related to a rulemaking or other action. For a market access action, the docket
will typically contain a proposed rule or notice, a risk analysis, and a final
rule or notice. The docket will also contain any other documents that were
required to be prepared.
Dunnage
– Wood packaging material used to secure or support a commodity but which does
not remain associated with the commodity. (Source: ISPM 5)
eCert –
Paperless electronic phytosanitary certification.
Efficacy
– A defined, measurable, and reproducible effect by a prescribed treatment.
(Source: ISPM 5)
Egalitarianism —
A social philosophy that supports removing inequalities among all people across
social, political and economic boundaries.
Emergency Measures
– A phytosanitary measure established as a matter of urgency in a new or
unexpected phytosanitary situation. An emergency measure may or may not be a
provisional measure. (Source: ISPM 5)
Endangered Area
– An area where ecological factors favor the establishment of a pest whose
presence in the area will result in economically important loss. (Source: ISPM
5)
Enquiry Point
– An official or office in a Member government designated to deal with
enquiries from other WTO members and the public on a subject such as technical
barriers to trade or sanitary/phytosanitary measures. (Source: WTO)
EPPO – European and Mediterranean Plant
Protection Organization is the inter-governmental organization responsible for
cooperation in plant health for that region.
Equivalence
– In sanitary/phytosanitary measures (SPS): governments recognizing other
countries’ measures as acceptable, even if they are different from their own,
so long as an equivalent level of protection is provided. (Source: WTO)
Equivalence
of Measures – See Equivalence
Executive Order –
An official document through which the
President directs the executive agencies.
Exotic
– Introduced, alien, non-indigenous, or non-native, as in exotic pest.
Expert Working Group (EWG)
– A group of typically five to seven experts assembled by the IPPC secretariat
whose role is to participate in the process of drafting standards.
Fatalism — The
belief that events are secured in advance so that humans are powerless to
change them.
FAVIR –
Fruits and Vegetables Import Requirements database for the United States of
America.
Federal
Register – The Federal Register is
the official gazette of the United States government. It provides legal notice
of administrative rules and notices and Presidential documents in a
comprehensive, uniform manner.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
– Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO's efforts: to make
sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active,
healthy lives. (Source: FAO)
Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS)
– Works to improve foreign market access for U.S. products and administers
market development and export-financing programs. FAS helps U.S. exporters
develop and maintain markets overseas for U.S. food and agricultural products.
FAS helps developing countries improve their agricultural systems and build
their trade capacity. (Source: USDA)
Free Trade Agreements
(FTAs) – Treaty between two or more countries to establish a free trade area
where commerce in goods and services can be conducted across their common
borders without tariffs or hindrances.
Free Trade Areas
– Trade within the group is duty free, but members set their own tariffs on
imports from non-members (e.g., NAFTA). (Source: WTO)
Gatekeepers — A person, or persons, who control
access.
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT) – A treaty implemented, following the
conclusion of World War II, to further regulate world trade and aid in economic
recovery. The GATT's main objective was to reduce the barriers of international
trade through the reduction of tariffs, quotas, and subsidies. The WTO SPS Agreement
replaced it in 1995.
General Session
– The supreme authority of the OIE, composed of Delegates of Member Countries.
The Assembly meets once a year in the month of May during the General Session.
(Source: OIE)
Geometric Mean — The
average of a set of numbers by using the product of their values (rather than
the sum of the values). For example: the geometric mean of 2 and 8 is the
square root of their product √2 * 8 = 4.
Germplasm
– Plants intended for use in breeding or conservation programs.
Harmonization
(Harmonize) – The establishment, recognition, and application by different
countries of phytosanitary measures based on common standards. (Source: ISPM 5)
Hazard — A source of danger or risk.
Hierarchy — A
system in which people are placed in a series of levels with different
importance or status.
Host Pest List – A list of pests that infest a plant
species, either globally or in an area. (Source: ISPM 5)
Import Quotas
(Tariff Quotas) – When quantities inside a quota are charged lower import duty
rates, than those outside (which can be high). (Source: WTO)
Individualism —
The belief that the needs of a single person are more important than the needs
of a society, which translates to governments maintaining the political and
economic independence of the individual.
Inspection
– Official visual examination of plants, plant products, or other regulated
articles to determine if pests are present or to determine compliance with
phytosanitary regulations. (Source: ISPM 5)
Inter Alia
– Latin for "among other things". This phrase is often found in legal
pleadings and writings to specify one example out of many possibilities.
International Plant Protection
Convention (IPPC) – An international agreement on plant
health that aims to protect cultivated and wild plants by preventing the
introduction and spread of pests.
International Services
(IS) – Supports APHIS’s international mission by protecting and promoting U.S.
agricultural health through internationally based animal and plant health expertise.
International Standards – International
standards established in accordance with Article X paragraphs 1 and 2 of the
IPPC. (Source: ISPM 5)
International
Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) –
Standards, guidelines, and recommendations recognized as the basis for
phytosanitary measures applied by Members of the World Trade Organization under
the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (the
SPS Agreement). (Source: IPPC)
Invasive Alien Species
– Species whose introduction and/or spread outside their natural past or
present distribution threatens biological diversity.
IPPC Secretariat
– Has the responsibility for the coordination of the IPPC work program involving
standard setting, information exchange, and technical assistance.
Laboratories Commission
– Concerned with the development of internationally agreed standards for
laboratory diagnostic tests and vaccines for OIE-listed animal diseases of
mammals, birds, and bees. (Source: OIE)
Likelihood —
The state or fact of something’s being likely; probability.
Living
Modified Organism (LMO) - Any living organism that
possesses a novel combination of genetic material obtained through the use of
modern biotechnology. (Source: ISPM 5)
Measure
– See Phytosanitary Measure
Minimal Impact – Phytosanitary measures should represent the least
restrictive measures available, and result in the minimum impediment to the
international movement of people, commodities and conveyances.
Mitigate
– To moderate (a quality or condition) in force or intensity; to alleviate.
Monetize –
Convert into or express in the form of currency.
Monte Carlo simulation —
Monte Carlo simulation is a computerized mathematical technique that allows
people to account for risk in quantitative analysis and decision-making. Monte
Carlo simulation furnishes the decision maker with a range of possible outcomes
and the probabilities they will occur for any choice of action. It shows the
extreme possibilities—the outcomes of going for broke and for the most
conservative decision—along with all possible consequences for middle of the
road decisions.
Most-Favored Nation Rule
(MFN) – Most-favored-nation treatment (GATT Article I, GATS Article II and
TRIPS Article 4); the principle of not discriminating between one’s trading
partners. (Source: WTO)
Multilateral Trade Agreement
– Agreements between many nations at one time. For this reason, they are very
complicated to negotiate, but they are very powerful once all parties sign the
agreement. The primary benefit of multilateral agreements is that all nations
get treated equally, which
can especially benefit poorer nations that are less competitive by nature.
NAPPO
– The North American Plant Protection Association is an inter-governmental
organization responsible for cooperation in plant health for that region.
National
Measures – A country’s sanitary or phytosanitary
standard.
National Notification Authority
– A single central government authority responsible for implementing, on a
national level, the notification requirements of the SPS Agreement.
National Plant Protection Organization
(NPPO) – Official service established by a government to discharge the
functions specified by the IPPC. (Source: ISPM 5)
National
Schedules – See National Tariffs
National Tariffs
(National Schedules) – In services, the equivalent of tariff schedules in GATT,
laying down the commitments accepted, either voluntarily or through
negotiation, by WTO members. (Source: WTO)
National Treatment
– The principle of giving others the same treatment as one’s own nationals.
GATT Article 3 requires that imported goods be treated no less favorably than
the same or similar domestically produced goods once they have passed customs.
GATS Article 17 and TRIPS Article 3 also deal with national treatment for
services and intellectual property protection. (Source: WHO)
Noncompliance —
Any significant instance(s) of failure to comply with specified phytosanitary
requirements, including the detection of specified regulated pests and
documentary requirements for phytosanitary certification.
Non-discrimination – The principle of
non-discrimination states that measures must not
discriminate between different trading partners or between domestic producers
and trading partners where identical or similar conditions prevail, unless there is
technical justification.
Notice –
A document published in the Federal
Register that gives notice regarding something other than a change to the
regulations. Notices may solicit comment, but do not always do so.
Notice-Based Processes –
A process to take action on market access
requests, through the publication of notices, that make agency risk analyses
available for comment rather than publishing proposed rules.
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking –
A document published in the Federal
Register that gives notice of a proposed change to an agency's regulations in
the Code of Federal Regulations and solicits comment on those changes.
Official Control
- The active enforcement of mandatory phytosanitary regulations and the
application of mandatory phytosanitary procedures with the objective of
eradication or containment of quarantine pests or for the management of
regulated non-quarantine pests. (Source: ISPM 5)
Official Control for
Regulated Pests – See Official Control
Official
Proclamation – A
government announcement of a policy or measure.
Online Comment System (OCS)
– A web-based system used for submitting comments on draft specifications and
draft ISPMs for member consultation and for the substantial concerns commenting
period. The IPPC OCS is located at: http://ocs.ippc.int/index.html.
Organization for Animal Health
(OIE) – The intergovernmental organization that is recognized by the WTO and is
responsible for improving animal health worldwide.
Pathway – Any means that allow the entry or spread of a pest.
(Source: ISPM5)
Pathovars –
A bacterial strain or set of strains with the same or similar characteristics
that is differentiated at the infrasubspecific level
from other strains of the same species or subspecies on the basis of
distinctive pathogenicity to one or more plant hosts.
PCIT –
Phytosanitary Certificate Issuance and Tracking. PCIT system tracks the
inspection of agricultural products and certifies compliance with plant health
standards of importing countries. This capability provides APHIS/PPQ better
security, reporting functions, and monitoring capabilities for exported
commodities.
Performance Standard –
Description of a regulation that states
the desired outcome and that gives the regulated party flexibility to choose a
means to achieve that outcome.
Pest – Any species, strain, or biotype of plant, animal, or
pathogenic agent injurious to plants or plant products. Note: in the IPPC,
“plant pest” is sometimes used for the term “pest”. (Source: ISPM 5)
Pest Free Area – An
area in which a specific pest does not occur, as demonstrated by scientific
evidence, and in which, where appropriate, this condition is being officially
maintained. (Source: ISPM 5)
Pest Free Place of Production
– Place of production in which a specific pest does not occur, as demonstrated
by scientific evidence, and in which, where appropriate, this condition is
being officially maintained for a defined period. (Source: ISPM 5)
Pest Free Production Sites
– A defined portion of a place of production in which a specific pest does not
occur, as demonstrated by scientific evidence, and in which, where appropriate,
this condition is being officially maintained for a defined period and is
managed as a separate unit in the same way as a pest free place of production.
(Source: ISPM 5)
Pest
List – A country’s list of regulated pests.
Pest pathway — Any
means that allows entry or spread of a pest. (Source: FAO, 1990;
revised FAO, 1995)
Pest Risk Analysis
– The process of evaluating biological or other scientific and economic
evidence to determine whether an organism is a pest and whether it should be
regulated, and to determine the strength of any phytosanitary measures to be
taken against it. (Source: ISPM 5)
Pest Risk Assessment
– Evaluation of the probability of the introduction and spread of a pest and
the magnitude of the associated potential economic consequences. (Source: ISPM
5)
Pest Risk Management
– Evaluation and selection of options to reduce the risk of the introduction
and spread of a pest.
PExD –
Phytosanitary Export Database for the United States of America. PExD contains phytosanitary import requirements of
U.S.-origin commodities to foreign countries.
Phenology –
The biological timing of natural events.
Phytopathogenic –
An organism that is pathogenic to a plant.
Phytophagous –
Feeding on plants.
Phytosanitary
Capacity Evaluation (PCE) – A
self-assessment tool that member countries use to generate a snapshot of their
phytosanitary strengths and weaknesses at a particular time in order to plan
for phytosanitary capacity building.
Phytosanitary
Certification – Use of phytosanitary
procedures leading to the issue of a phytosanitary certificate. (Source: ISPM
5)
Phytosanitary Measure
(Measure) – Any legislation, regulation, or official procedure having the
purpose to prevent the introduction and/or spread of quarantine pests, or to
limit the economic impact of regulated non-quarantine pests. (Source: ISPM 5)
Plant
Product – Unmanufactured material of
plant origin (including grain) and those manufactured products that, by their
nature or by that of their processing, might create a risk for the introduction
and spread of pests. (Source: ISPM 5)
Plant
Protection Act –
Grants
authority to APHIS to prohibit or restrict the import of any plant or plant
product whose importation could affect plant health.
Plant Protection and Quarantine
(PPQ) – Safeguards agriculture and natural resources from the entry,
establishment, and spread of animal and plant pests and noxious weeds into the
U.S., as well as supports trade and exports of U.S. agricultural products.
PRA area — Area
in relation to which a pest risk analysis is conducted.
Preclearance Programs –
Programs that allow commodities to be treated and/or inspected
overseas and then granted clearance into the United States.
Prescriptive Requirement –
Description of a regulation that spells
out everything the regulated party has to do in order to comply with the
regulations.
Principle of Reduction and Binding of
National Tariffs – Members undertake commitments in
which they state the maximum level of import duty or other charge or
restriction that they will apply to imports of specified types of goods.
(Source: WTO)
Promulgate –
To put a law or decree into effect by
official proclamation.
Protectionism —
Advocates government economic protection for domestic (local) producers through
restricting foreign competition.
Protective Measures
– The economic policy of restraining trade between nations to reduce
competition for goods and services produced domestically.
Provisional Measure
(Provisionally) – A phytosanitary regulation or procedure established without
full technical justification owing to current lack of adequate information. A
provisional measure is subjected to periodic review and full technical
justification as soon as possible. (Source: ISPM 5)
Provisionally
– See Provisional Measure
Quantitative Restriction
- A trade restriction placed on the amount of an item or
service that can be imported into a country. These are frequently
enacted to protect the price of domestically produced goods or to
decrease or eliminate a trade deficit. Also called trade quota.
Quarantine —
Official confinement of regulated articles for observation and research or for
further inspection, testing and/or treatment. (Source: FAO, 1990;
revised FAO, 1995; CEPM, 1999)
Quarantine Pest
– A pest of potential economic importance to the area endangered thereby and
not yet present there, or present but not widely distributed and being
officially controlled. (Source: ISPM 5)
Quota
– A government-imposed limit on the quantity, or in exceptional cases the
value, of the goods or services that may be exported or imported over a
specified period of time.
Ratified –
Formally approved and invested with legal authority.
Region –
See Zone
Regional
Plant Protection Organizations (RPPOs)
– Provide coordination at a local level for the activities and objectives of
the IPPC.
Regionalization
– Recognition that an exporting region (part of a country or a
border-straddling zone) is disease-free or pest-free, or has a lower incidence.
(Source: WTO)
Regional standards for phytosanitary
measures —
Some regional plant protection organizations (RPPO) develop and adopt their own
standard phytosanitary measures in addition to the ISPMs. These regional
standards serve a similar function to the ISPM’s except RSPMs only apply to
countries within the RPPO.
Regulated —
A quarantine pest or a regulated non-quarantine pest. (Source: IPPC,
1997)
Regulated Non-Quarantine Pest
– A non-quarantine pest whose presence in plants for planting affects the
intended use of those plants with an economically unacceptable impact, and which
is therefore regulated within the territory of the importing contracting party.
(Source: ISPM 5)
Risk — The possibility of loss or injury.
Risk analysis —
The practice of evaluating risk, managing risk, and communicating about risk.
Risk assessment —
A systematic process of evaluation of the potential risks that may be involved
in a projected activity or undertaking.
Rule
of National Treatment – See National Treatment
Scientific Commission
– Assists in identifying the most appropriate strategies and measures for
disease prevention and control. (Source: OIE)
Scoping Call — A
call to a group in order to determine the scale of a pest risk assessment.
Septa – A type of pheromone lure that is
placed inside the trap. It should not be handled with bare hands, and never
rolled along the glue board of a trap.
Shall – A legal term that is equivalent to “is required
to”, and is used when there is an obligation to take action. It is commonly
used in formal legal wording for mandatory requirements.
Should – Equivalent to “it is recommended” that something be
done. The word “should” in English is interpreted to imply a type of moral or
political commitment. It creates an expectation that something will be done,
although it is non-binding.
Smuggling —
The illegal transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into
a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or
other regulations.
Specialist
Commissions – Uses current scientific information to study
problems of epidemiology and the prevention and control of animal diseases, to
develop and revise OIE's international standards, and to address scientific and
technical issues raised by Members.
SPS Agreement (Agreement
on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures) — Sets out
the basic rules for food safety and animal and plant health standards. Entered
into force on January 1, 1995.
SPS
Committee – Oversees the implementation of the SPS
Agreement. (Source: WTO)
Stakeholder — An
individual, group or organization that has interest in or particular concern
about another organization’s objectives, actions or policies.
Standards Committee (SC)
– Responsible for overseeing the IPPC Standard Setting Process,
managing the development of International Standards for
Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs), and providing
guidance and oversight to the work of Technical Panels (TPs)
and Expert Working
Groups (EWGs).
Standards Committee Working Group
(SC-7) – Supports the work of the SC in the detailed consideration of draft
ISPMs and specifications.
Sterilants – A sterilizing agent.
Sterile Insect Technique — A
method of biological control where overwhelming numbers of male insects are
sterilized and released into the wild. Sterilized males will out-compete wild
males for females, which results in no offspring. This reduces future insect
populations.
Stone fruit —
Fleshy indehiscent fruit with a single seed, e.g., almond, peach, plum, cherry,
elderberry, olive.
Strategic
Planning and Technical Assistance Group (SPTA) – The
Strategic Planning and Technical Assistance (SPTA) group is an informal working
group that prepares specific activities for the CPM relating to planning and
prioritization of the work programme, including
technical assistance, information exchange, prioritizing topics for standards,
funding issues, and decisions regarding liaison with other international and
regional organizations. The SPTA meets during the first week of October each
year at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.
Subsidy
- There are two general types of subsidies: export and domestic. An export
subsidy is a benefit conferred on a firm by the government that is contingent
on exports. A domestic subsidy is a benefit not directly linked to exports.
(Source: WTO)
Substantial Concerns Commenting Period
(SCCP) – Once the SC-7 or TP recommends the draft ISPM to the SC, the
Secretariat posts the draft ISPM in the IPPC Online Comment System and
opens the draft for the substantial-concerns commenting period.
Surveillance – An official process that collects and records data
on pest occurrence or absence by survey, monitoring, or other procedures.
(Source: ISPM 5)
Systems Approach – The integration of different risk-management
measures, at least two of which act independently and which together achieve
the appropriate level of protection against regulated pests. (Source: ISPM
5)
Taxa – Plural form of taxon.
Taxon
– A taxonomic group of any rank, such as a species, family, or class.
Tariffs
– Customs duties on merchandise imports, which are levied either on an ad
valorem basis (percentage of value) or on a specific basis (e.g., $7 per 100
kg.). Tariffs give a price advantage to similar locally produced goods and
raise revenues for the government. (Source: WTO)
Technical Assistance –
WTO’s trade-related technical assistance (TRTA) activities and programs are
geared toward sustainable-trade capacity building in beneficiary countries.
(Source: WTO)
Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement
(TBT) – Regulations, standards, testing, and certification procedures that
could obstruct trade. The WTO’s TBT Agreement aims to ensure that these do not
create unnecessary obstacles. (Source: WTO)
Technically Justified
– Justified on the basis of conclusions reached by using an appropriate
pest-risk analysis or, where applicable, another comparable examination and
evaluation of available scientific information. (Source: ISPM 5)
The World Assembly of Delegates
– OIE’s supreme body, comprising the national Delegates to the OIE of all
Member Countries, appointed as official representatives by their governments.
(Source: OIE)
Trade Barriers
– Any of a number of government-placed restrictions on trade between nations.
The most common sorts of trade barriers are things like subsidies, tariffs,
quotas, duties, and embargoes.
Trade Liberalization
– The removal or reduction of restrictions or barriers on the free exchange of
goods between nations. This includes the removal or reduction of both tariff
and non-tariff obstacles, like quotas.
Transparency
– The principle of making available, at the international level, phytosanitary
measures and their rationale. (Source: ISPM 5)
Treatment
– Official procedure for the killing, inactivation, devitalization, or removal
of pests, or for rendering pests infertile. (Source: ISPM 5)
Uncertainty —
Something that is doubtful, or unknown.
UNCTAD –
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) – Supports the American agricultural
economy, strengthens rural communities, protects and conserves natural
resources, and provides a safe, sufficient, and nutritious food supply for the
American people. (Source: USDA)
United States Small Business
Administration – The
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 as an independent
agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist, and protect the
interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise,
and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation.
United States Trade Representative
(USTR) – Negotiates directly with foreign governments to create trade
agreements, to resolve disputes, and to participate in global trade policy
organizations. Also meets with governments, business groups, legislators, and
public interest groups to gather input on trade issues and to discuss the
President's trade policy positions.
Uruguay Round
– Multilateral trade negotiations launched at Punta del Este, Uruguay, in
September 1986 and concluded in Geneva in December 1993. Signed by Ministers in
Marrakesh, Morocco, in April 1994. (Source: WTO)
World Health Organization (WHO)
– The directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations
system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters,
shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating
evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries, and
monitoring and assessing health trends.
World Organization for Animal Health
(OIE) – Intergovernmental organization responsible for improving animal health
worldwide. (Source: OIE)
World Trade Organization
(WTO) – The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international
organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are
the WTO agreements, which are negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s
trading nations and are ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to help
producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their
business. (Source: WTO)
WTO Secretariat
– A multicultural team of highly qualified individuals who provide independent
support to WTO member governments on all of the activities that are carried out
by the Organization. (Source: WTO)
Zone – A clearly defined part of a country containing an
animal subpopulation with a distinct health status with respect to a specific
disease for which required surveillance, control, and biosecurity measures have
been applied for the purpose of international trade.