How are technical measures for trade in agricultural products developed globally after COVID-19?

How has the number of technical trade measures for agricultural products changed since the outbreak?

SPS measures will increase more in 2020, while TBT measures related to agriculture will increase more significantly in 2021. In 2019, THE number of  SPS and TBT notifications received by WTO members was 1225 and 2074 respectively (initiated measures, the same below), among which 907 were TBT notifications concerning agricultural products (SPS measures mostly involve agricultural products and food, so they are not divided separately). After the outbreak of COVID-19, the NUMBER of SPS and TBT notifications received by WTO members in 2020 was 1,515 and 2,043 respectively, of which 1,023 were TBT notifications concerning agricultural products. The number of SPS measures increased significantly, with an increase of 24%, while the number of AGRICULTURAL TBT measures increased relatively slowly. In 2021, the number of SPS and TBT notifications submitted by WTO members was 1265 and 2584 respectively, among which the number of TBT notifications concerning agricultural products was 1453. The number of SPS measures fell, while the number of TBT measures related to agriculture increased rapidly, up to 42%. On the whole, WTO members are relatively active in the field of technical trade measures in order to ensure the supply security of their own agricultural food products.

What types of agricultural products are most affected by technical trade measures after COVID-19?

Animals and products are most affected by technical trade measures, and the number of notifications continues to increase after the outbreak. The WTO circular on technical trade measures divides agricultural products into four categories: one is animals and products, the other is plant products, the third is animal and plant fats and waxes, and the fourth is food and beverage. In 2019, 591 SPS and TBT notifications related to animals and products were received by WTO members. After the COVID-19 outbreak, there were 687 in 2020 and 785 in 2021. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the annual growth rate has been nearly 100. The number of notified plants and products, animal and vegetable fats and waxes slowed down after the outbreak of the epidemic, while the number of notified food and beverages declined after the outbreak of the epidemic.

Which WTO members have reported the most measures since the outbreak?

A higher proportion of notifications were submitted by developing members, with Brazil, Tanzania and Thailand leading the way in initiating notifications. After the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020-2021, eight member Countries have submitted more than 100 notifications of agro-products, followed by Brazil (312), Tanzania (267), Thailand (177), Japan (176), Uganda (152), the European Union (127), Canada (113) and Kenya (109). Among them, developing members account for more than 60%, ranking first, second, third, fifth and eighth respectively, and are the main force in initiating notifications of technical trade measures.

What are the characteristics of notification of technical trade measures involving China after the epidemic?

After the outbreak of the epidemic, Thailand submitted the most notifications on China's agricultural products, mostly involving animals and products, mainly about measures related to animal diseases. From 2020 to 2021, WTO members submitted 35 notifications only for China's agricultural products, all of which were SPS.

From informed members, nearly two years based on the technical trade measures on Chinese agricultural products to submit the largest number of members for Thailand (14), the rest of Russia, the European Union, Brazil, Peru, kazakhstan, Mauritius, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Chile, developing members accounted for over sixty percent.

In terms of notified products, animals and products are most involved in the notification of technical trade measures on agricultural products in recent two years, accounting for more than 50%; Plant products ranked second, accounting for 30%; Food and beverage accounted for less than 10%, animal and vegetable fats only 1 item.

From the content of the notification, more than half of the notifications on technical trade measures for China's agricultural products in the past two years involve animal diseases, such as avian flu and African swine fever. Thailand's notification measures to China are mainly of this kind. About one-fifth of them are related to COVID-19. Kazakhstan, Mauritius and Russia all imposed import restrictions on China at the beginning of the epidemic. In addition, about 1/4 of the notifications were related to plant diseases and insect pests, and Peru, the United States, New Zealand, Chile and The United Kingdom notified China mainly in this field. In particular, it is worth noting that there are few notifications on pesticide and veterinary drug residues in Chinese products, and only the European Union has ever notified them.