Potential Benefits and Future Prospects of Thailand and the United States: Dialogue and Cooperation in the Area of Standards and Conformity Assessment as well as Sanitary and Phyto Sanitary/ Food Safety

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• Potential Benefits and Future Prospects of
  Thailand and the United States Dialogue and
  Cooperation in the Area of Standards and
  Conformity Assessment as well as Sanitary and
  Phyto Sanitary/ Food Safety
• By
• SONGSAK SAICHEUA
• The Royal Thai Embassy, Washington DC
• 23 August 2006

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Outline

• 1. U.S. Standards Strategy and International
  Cooperation
• 2. TBT Standards and Conformity Assessment Issues
• 3. International Cooperation/ Arrangement the
  U.S. in SPS/ Food/ Food Safety
• 4. SPS/ Food Safety Issues
• 5. Possible Cooperations between Thailand and the
  U.S.

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1. The U.S. Standards Strategy and International
Cooperation

• The U.S. Standards Strategy
• Recognizes that competition to set globally
  accepted standards in a major driving force in
  international trade
• Two key new elements in the U.S. Standards
  Strategy
• Work to prevent standards from becoming trade
  barriers
• Strengthen international outreach program to
  promote understanding of the benefits of
  voluntary, consensus-based, market driven
  sectoral standards

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The U.S. Standards Strategy and International
Cooperation (cont.)

• International Cooperation of the U.S. in
  standards
• Department of Commerce Standards Initiatives
• Intensive Training for Standards Attaches
• Training for U.S. Foreign Commercial Officers
• Create a best practices database
• Reach out to U.S. industries, hosting
  industry-specific roundtables on standards
• Appoint a standards liaison at International
  Trade Administration (ITA)
• Standards officers in China, Belgium, Mexico,
  Brazil
• Spotlight markets China, EU, Brazil, India,
  Russia, ROK, Japan, Western Hemisphere
• Standards as a part of National Export Strategy

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U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA)

• U.S.-China Standards and Conformity Assessment
  Cooperation Program
• Afghanistan Standards Development
• Vietnam Standards Development
• USTDA supported standards-related activities in
  Brazil, Russia, Thailand, Mexico

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Other Cooperations (cont.) Note Ideas
discussed in the Options for Action Summit at
NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S.A, on 18-19
July 2006

• FTA (WTO)/ MRAs are good first steps (support
  trade)
• U.S.s strategy to build and sustain relationship
  with other countries
• Incorporate regulatory info in training
  (sometimes difficult to include)
• MOU programs, workshops, open houses, training
  modules, outreach/ friendship agreements, trade
  shows
• Involve representatives from developing countries
  on boards, policy and technical committees
• DOC/NIST Standards in Trade Workshops

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Other Cooperations (cont.) Note Ideas
discussed in the Options for Action Summit at
NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S.A, on 18-19
July 2006

• ANSI meetings with foreign NSBs and outreach
  meetings
• USNC liaison with other national committees (IEC
  members)
• Bilateral and multilateral meetings at IEC
  meetings regional offices
• Committee meetings in foreign countries
• Invite representatives from other countries to
  annual/special meetings
• Still large need for U.S. standards in foreign
  countries
• Targeting countries who want U.S. assistance/
  tied to trade

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Opportunities for Coordination, Harmonization,
and PartneringNote Ideas discussed in the
Options for Action Summit at NIST,
Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S.A, on 18-19 July 2006

• Make staff available for visits, workshops,
  meetings, etc. in the U.S. and abroad
• Identify opportunities for participation in
  FTA/MRA discussions
• Coordinate with FCS/Standards attaches
• Regardless of sector-specific standards strategy
  approaches-remember common developing country
  practices and important of maintaining U.S.
  participation within traditional ISO/IEC/ITU
  process when possible (and the perils of not)
• Coordination of U.S. standards system-wide
  technical assistance efforts
• Stronger U.S. participation (experts) in
  important international areas
• Funding needed (education/training can help
  shared funding)
• Recruiting new people new generation of
  standards and CA experts
• Education (benefits of standards) at all levels
• Create and maintain a central resources of
  information on U.S. technical assistance
• Create and maintain a database/process of
  experts/ resources to talk on standards

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Positive Aspects of Current Technical Cooperation

• Seminars are working well, great demand, great
  participation
• Seminars provide opportunities for frank
  discussion on standards-related trade issues
• Very successful U.S. officers training in
  standards issues
• Technical cooperation activities are fully
  supported by all stakeholders

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Challenges in provision of U.S. Technical
Cooperation

• Technical cooperation with foreign countries
  should be increased
• Standards development should be based on the
  partner countries need
• How to sustain current positive technical
  cooperation
• Lacks of full understanding of U.S. funding
  agencies about standards and their importance to
  U.S. competitiveness
• The need for more forward looking of U.S.
  standards-related agencies and authorities
• Need for recognition of importance of standards
  at U.S. highest level
• Need for more effective coordination among
  agencies concerned
• Need for database of standards and standards
  activities
• Need more resources/ more effective means of
  technical cooperation
• Technical assistance VS Technical cooperation

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2. Thailand U.S. TBT/Standards and Conformity
Assessment (SCA) Issues

• U.S.
• Concerns overly burdensome, cost, duration
  complexity of TFDA permitting process
• Concerns over measures proposed or implemented by
  TISI results
• Radio Disturbance limits of personal computers
• TISI technical regulation requiring all
  uninterruptible power system to meet certain
  testing standards
• Concerns over large-displacement motorcycle
  traffic from express ways and motorcycle
  emissions regulations

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Thailand - U.S. TBT/Standards and Conformity
Assessment (SCA) Issues (cont.)

• Thailand
• Different SCA at the U.S. federal, state, local
  governments
• Lack of knowledge and understanding about U.S.
  SCA
• Rule of origin labeling
• Some specific issues toy, cement, etc.
• Clinical Trial process for pharmaceutical
  products of the U.S.

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3.International Cooperation/ Arrangement of U.S.
in SPS/ Food/ Food Safety

• SPS in U.S. FTA
• SPS Committee
• SPS Cooperation

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FDA International Arrangements 71
agreements/arrangements

• 27 Countries and 1 Inter-organization Australia,
  Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, EU,
  Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland,
  Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New
  Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Russia, Singapore,
  Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United
  Kingdom, WHO

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FDA International Arrangements 71
agreements/arrangements (cont.)

• Products/sectors
• Milk (Australia, Belgium, Denmark)
• Dry milk (Australia, Belgium, Denmark)
• Medical products (Singapore)
• Food products (Philippines, Russia)
• Medical devices (Taiwan, EU)
• Fish and fishery products (NZ)
• Veterinary equivalence framework agreement (EU)
• Safety and quality of fresh and frozen Molluscan
  Shellfish (Mexico)
• Ceramicware certification (China)

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FDA International Arrangements (cont.)

• Thematic arrangement
• Sharing and exchange of information (Canada, EU,
  France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland)
• Good laboratory practice (Sweden, Germany, Italy,
  France, Canada)
• Good manufacturing practice (Australia, EU)
• Agricultural trade veterinary drug and
  pesticides (Canada)
• Scientific/ regulatory fields of health
  cooperation (Canada, Mexico)
• Food safety (EU)
• Veterinary Equivalence Framework Agreement (EU)

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Equivalence Recognition/ Process of USDA
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The U.S. National Food Safety Program

• Overview
• Produce and import safety initiative
• Surveillance
• Inspection and compliance
• Food safety education/ International outreach
• Research
• Risk assessment

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4. SPS/Food Safety Issues

• Thailand
• Hundreds of Thai agricultural and food products
  exported to the U.S. have been rejected every
  year
• Thai herbal products still cannot be registered
  in the U.S. (Pueraria Marifica or Kwoa Krue, etc)
• Pork and pork products
• Poultry and poultry products
• Fruits and vegetable
• Country of origin labeling
• Bioterrorism

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SPS/Food Safety Issues (cont.)

• U.S.
• Poultry products
• Most concerns are tariff and customs aspects

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5. Possible Cooperation between Thailand and the
U.S.

• Cross-sectors Cooperation
• Thailands active role in SPS/food safety and SCA
• Promotion of U.S. standards and cooperation
• SCA Forum/ Mechanism/ Committee
• SPS/ Food Safety Committee
• Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA)
• Equivalence Agreement (EA)
• MOU, workshops, exchange of experts, officials,
  training, outreach program, trade fairs/shows
• Standards fairs/exhibitions
• Exchange of information and regulatory cooperation

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SCA Cooperation

• Thailand-U.S. SCA Fairs/symposium
• Possible standards officers/office in Thailand
  regional hub (DOC)
• Thailand-U.S. SCA Technical Cooperation
  Program/Framework (USAID, USTDA, ANSI, NIST, etc)
• Setting up of U.S. SCA-related private firms/ lab
  in Thailand
• Standards testing Thailand 2-step approach
• Standards education/curriculum
• National Standards Strategy of Thailand
• Coordination/ exchange of information
  ISO/IEC/ITU
• Database development cooperation

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SPS/Food Safety Cooperation

• Recognition of equivalence meat, poultry
• Cooperation in using regionalization
• Arrangement/cooperation in some specific
  products/sectors veterinary, fishery products,
  medical products, etc
• More exchange of visits/exchange of information
• Avian Influenza
• Herbal and health-related products registration
  and clinical trial process

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SPS/Food Safety Cooperation (continued)

• Human aspect of food safety cooperation, RD
  (U.S. National Institute of Health, Department of
  Health and Human Services, etc)
• Food Safety Cooperation Program/Framework
• Regulatory aspects
• Food safety handling
• Food labeling
• Food safety education/training
• Risk assessment
• Inspection/ surveillance
• RD

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Other Cooperations

• GAP, GMP, GHP
• Laboratory cooperations/MOU