Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS)
The basic rules governing food safety and animal and plant health standards are covered by the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
SPS measures are those that are used to protect human, animal, or plant life or health from risks that come from the spread of pests and diseases, or from additives, toxins, or contaminants found in food, beverages, or feedstuffs.
The SPS Agreement requires that WTO members establish a national “Enquiry Point" to answer enquiries from other members regarding the technical requirements and SPS-related measures for products sold in their countries. Click on the link to visit the Lao PDR SPS Enquiry Point web page.
Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
The Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) describes the rights and obligations of WTO members concerning the development and use of technical measures that affect product trade.
The purpose of the TBT Agreement is to reduce barriers to trade resulting from different technical regulations, standards, and conformity assessment procedures from one country to another, while also providing members with the right to implement measures to achieve legitimate policy objectives, such as the protection of human health and safety, or the environment.
The TBT Agreement requires that WTO members establish a national “Enquiry Point" to answer enquiries from other members regarding the technical requirements for products sold in their countries. Click on the link to visit the Lao PDR TBT Enquiry Point web page.
Notification Unit
Lao PDR has also established an SPS undfers the Department of Planning and Cooperations, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and TBT unders the Department of Standardization and Metrology, Ministry of Industry and Commerce. The Notification Units are responsible for ensuring that proposed regulations are published promptly, notifying other countries through the WTO Secretariat of new regulations, providing copies of proposed regulations on request and ensuring that comments are handled correctly.
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