In the recent years the international trade arena has witnessed the growing importance of “within the border” barriers. Standards and technical regulations appear to several commentators as the new critical issue on the international trade agenda. Among these, sanitary and phytosanitary measures occupy a special place because of their crucial aim: safeguard of health and safety of human beings.
Dawn newspaper reports that The World Bank (WB) and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido) have asked Pakistan to amend its existing Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) related laws in compliance with the requirements of international trade partners to put an end to the country’s huge export losses and gain credibility.
Pakistan at present bears $45m (Rs2.7bn) annual losses after instigating a self-imposed suspension of fisheries export to the European Union (EU) member countries few years back for failing to meet the food safety and sanitary compliance of fish products in the destination markets. The country’s international image regarding food standards is still very weak.
In their joint report “Pakistan Agro-based Exports and SPS Compliance,” released here on Wednesday, the WB and Unido have pointed loopholes and grey areas in the country’s existing seven laws related to the export of food items and given recommendations.
The key legislations pertinent to trade related SPS management in Pakistan are: Pakistan Pure Food Laws 1960; Pakistan Animal Quarantine (Import and Export of Animals and Animal Products) Act, 1985; Pakistan Plant Quarantine Act, 1976; Federal Seed certification Act, 1976; Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority Act, 1994; Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marketing) Act, 1937; and Pakistan Fish Inspection and Quality Control Act, 1998.
The Pakistan Pure Food Laws are the basis of existing trade related food quality and safety legislative framework in the country. The laws cover 104 food items which fall under nine broad based categories included milk and milk products, edible oils and fat products, beverages, food grains and cereals, starchy food, spices and condiments, sweetening agents, fruit and vegetables products and miscellaneous food products.
These regulations only addresses the purity issues in raw food and deal with subjects associated with additives, food preservatives, food and synthetic colours, antioxidant, and in some cases heavy metals. They, however, fail to address potential hazards in food supply chain and in processing such as biological, chemical and environmental contamination.
Similarly, labelling requirements are limited to information such as the list of ingredients, label terminology and name of producer or manufacturer.
“The pure food laws are outdated and there is a need to update these laws,” the report observes.
It has pointed out that unlike in developed countries, there is no Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health Authority (FSVPHA) in Pakistan, which could be made responsible for the execution of laws, nor there is any appropriate quality testing and referral laboratories available.
The report says that the Pakistan Animal Quarantine Act fails to address issues such as institutional and quality infrastructure requirements and the role of private sector, meat inspection, animal welfare and damage control to animals, and matters related to wild life, residues, environmental contaminants, live vaccines, serum, toxins, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), traceability, and social compliance.
Both the international organisations have stressed the need for amendments in the act and formulation of new regulations to address these issues.
The report observes that neither airports nor ports have any formal quarantine facilities in Pakistan. The quarantine offices in most parts of the country are in rented facilities and ill-equipped to cater for quarantine testing.
The report also highlights the weak enforcement of quarantine regulation in the implementation of the Plant Quarantine Act, 1976 by the federal ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal). It says there is a lack of coordination between the ministries in the implementation of the Federal Food, Certification Act.
The report says that in Pakistan a large number of animals were slaughtered outside the recognised abattoirs in violation of the Animal Slaughter Control Act.
“There is not an Act or law on wholesomeness of meat or are their prescribed standards e.g. microbiological standards,” the report observes. Microbiological standards and examinations are required to enhance pre- and post-slaughter meat hygiene.
Published Date: June 22, 2006