PRIVATE STANDARDS: A COUNTRY PERSPECTIVE. “LESOTHO”

PRIVATE STANDARDS: A COUNTRY PERSPECTIVE. “LESOTHO” SADC Stakeholders Workshop on Private Voluntary Agri-food Standards. Pretoria, 5th and 6th November 2008.

Background • Lesotho has one abattoir that is located in Maseru, and about ten municipal slaughter slabs that cater for slaughter of animals at district level. The main activity at these slaughter facilities is primary meat handling. There are no facilities for processing of meat products. • There is only one milk processing plant situated in Maseru, the main activities being processing of milk through pasteurisation, UHT process and processing of dairy products on a small scale. • The bulk of meat and meat products as well as milk and milk products consumed in Lesotho are imported from South Africa.

SPS Agreement • Article 3: Members base their SPS measures on international standards, guidelines and recommendations in order to facilitate harmonization. SPS recognizes 3 sister organizations: • Codex Alimentarius Commission; For food safety measures standards.

Article 3 of SPS Agreement (cont) • OIE (World Animal Health Organization); for animal health measures. Its standards are compiled In Animal health code (terrestrial, aquatic) • International Plant Protection Convention; For plant protection and health measures.

SPS Agreement (cont.) • Article 5.1 Requires that SPS measures be based on an assessment of risks to human, animal and plant life or health. The importing country must be able to demonstrate that its measure is based on an appropriate risk assessment.

SPS Agreement (cont.) • Article 5.2 Kind of information that shall be taken into account when undertaking risk assessment: • Available scientific evidence • Relevant processes and production methods.

SPS measures Article 5.2 (cont.) • Relevant inspection, sampling and testing protocols. • Prevalence of specific diseases or pests • Existence of pests or disease free areas. • Relevant ecological and environmental conditions. • Quarantine or other treatment

SPS Measures (cont.) • Transparency (Article 7) Members shall notify changes in their sanitary and phytosanitary measures and shall provide information on their SPS measures in accourdance with annex B (Prompt publication of SPS regulations,allow reasonable time after publication to enter into force and establishment of enquiry point)

National Standards (Lesotho) • In order to implement its obligations with WTO SPS Measures, Lesotho has devised set of Zoo sanitary measures (National Legislation), which are as follows:

National Standards (Lesotho) cont. • Importation and Exportation of Livestock and Livestock products proclamation No.57 of 1952. • Importation and Exportation of Livestock and Livestock Products (Amendment) Act No. 21 of 1984. • Public Health (Abattoir Regulations), Legal Notice No.27 of 1972. • Stock Diseases Proclamation No.10 of 1896 • Stock Diseases (Amendment) Act No.18 of 1984 • Veterinary Surgeons Act No.13 of 1973 • Distribution of Dairy Products Regulations, 1992 (Legal Notice No. 241 of 1992)

National Standards (Lesotho) cont. • Challenges Some of the challenges facing Veterinary Authorities to effectively implement international standards are: • Outdated legislation that needs urgent attention. • Lack of proper infrastructure to implement prescribed standards (quarantine facilities, laboratory equipment, Vehicles for DVO’s and headquarters staff, communication.) • Inadequate inspectors to implement SPS measures at various levels (ports of entry and exit, business establishments and farms.) • Non compliance by stakeholders due to lack of information, or sometimes to due utter deviance in some quarters

Private Standards Private Standards • Food production in Lesotho is mainly for domestic consumption and in a very limited scale. Large scale food processing plants are non-existent; hence the lack of interest on the part of private standards bodies to establish any office in Lesotho. • Any commodities of food origin that are imported into Lesotho are subjected to national standards that are regulated by State

Impact of private standards • As member of international standards setting bodies such as OIE and Codex, which have been mandated by WTO to facilitate international trade through standards that will ensure products that are safe for human and animal consumption, wholesome and do not pose any danger of transmission and spread of transboundary diseases, we fully support such standards. • They are based on science, non- discriminatory and anybody or institution that wants to impose more stringent standards has to justify scientifically why they want to impose such standards. • There must be justification why such move does not constitute a barrier to trade.

Impact of private standards (cont). • Lesotho believes that whatever standards that deviate from internationally recognised standards have to be done with caution, making sure that they do not deliberately exclude some underdeveloped countries such as Lesotho and indeed many SADC member countries, which do not have capacity to implement such standards

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PRIVATE STANDARDS: A COUNTRY PERSPECTIVE. “LESOTHO”