Lesson 1: Introduction to Risk Analysis
Topic 3: PRA and the SPS Agreement
Pest risk analysis came to the forefront for NPPOs with the adoption of the SPS Agreement in 1995. In this topic, you will review the major provisions of the SPS Agreement related to PRA.
Objectives:
- Describe the relationship between scientific justification, PRA, and the SPS Agreement
- Clarify the usage of the term “risk assessment” according to the SPS Agreement
- List some economic and biological information that should be included in a PRA
- Describe the role of international standards in justifying SPS measures
The SPS Agreement
As you learned in earlier modules, the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures or SPS Agreement provides guidance to countries on how sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures should be applied. Such measures are designed to protect human, animal, and plant life or health from the introduction and spread of pests and diseases. The SPS Agreement is designed to facilitate safe trade while requiring that SPS measures be technically justified. In this short topic, we will examine the requirements for technical justification as they relate to PRA.
Scientific Justification of SPS Measures
SPS measures can be justified in one of two ways: by conducting a science-based assessment of risk to determine what measures are appropriate (Article 5) or by basing measures on international standards (Article 3).
Annex A of the SPS Agreement defines the term “risk assessment” as “the evaluation of the likelihood of entry, establishment or spread of a pest or disease within the territory of an importing Member, according to the sanitary or phytosanitary measures which might be applied, and of the associated potential biological and economic consequences.”
Be aware, that although the SPS Agreement uses the term “risk assessment,” the definition given above strongly suggests that it is referring to “risk analysis” rather than just risk assessment.
As shown in the diagram below, the components of risk analysis are risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication. The SPS Agreement states that a “risk assessment” must be done if a country wishes to put in place SPS measures in cases where no standard exists or when measures deviate from international standards. As you can easily see in the diagram below, the placement of SPS measures to reduce, manage, or eliminate the risk is part of risk management, which is one of the components of risk analysis.
In this module, we use the term pest risk analysis or PRA, because the hazards that concern us are plant pests. Pest risk analysis, like all risk analysis, has three components—pest risk assessment, pest risk management, and pest risk communication. You will learn about these components in later modules.
SPS Requirements for Information
Recall that Article 5 also specifies the type of information that should be considered when conducting risk analysis.
In the case of plant health, the PRA should take into account the following:
- Relevant biological factors, such as
- Pest prevalence
- Existence of pest free areas
- Ecological and environmental conditions
- Relevant economic factors, such as
- Potential damage, in terms of loss of production or sales as a result of pest introduction
- Costs of control or eradication of a pest; and the relative cost effectiveness of risk-management options
- Relevant production practices, inspection, sampling, and testing methods
The Role of International Standards (Codex Alimentarius, OIE, and IPPC)
International standards provide scientific justification for measures, because the standards are based on scientific evidence and an analysis of risk. If a country chooses to base its measures on an international standard, it cannot be challenged because the standard was internationally vetted and agreed upon by Member countries. Basing measures on international standards creates a more predictable and fair trading environment.
Roles and Responsibilities in PRA
The SPS Agreement is designed to facilitate trade. For trade-related PRAs, the SPS Agreement clearly states that the responsibility to analyze risk and to justify SPS measures lies with the importing country. In reality, however, there is a sharing of obligations between importing and exporting countries in the provision of evidence and scientific information. Nevertheless, it is the importing country that is ultimately responsible for any decisions that are made as a result of a trade-related risk analysis.
This topic provided a refresher on the SPS Agreement, particularly on what it tells us about justifying SPS measures. The topic also addressed the issues of SPS terminology surrounding the use of “risk analysis” versus “risk assessment.”
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