Agriculture food and safety

The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies aims to enhance the sustainability of fisheries resources by prohibiting some of the most harmful types of fisheries subsidies. Implementation of the Agreement will enhance fisheries sustainability, which in turn will make an important contribution to strengthening global food security. This report highlights the importance of international collaboration in assisting developing and least developed country (LDC) Read More

This publication is the first WTO publication on illicit trade in food and food fraud. It includes contributions from participants in the WTO’s Annual Agriculture Symposium, held on 11 and 12 December 2023, which explored this topic. The Symposium was organized by the Agriculture and Commodities Division with the cooperation of the Office of the Deputy Director-General Jean-Marie Paugam.

Seed is the most important input in crop production. Reliable, high-quality seeds are vital to agriculture and the food supply chain. High-quality seeds enable farmers to boost crop productivity, improve livelihoods and feed a growing world population. In recent years, there has been an increase in illegal seed practices. Many of these practices constitute a violation of intellectual property rights, such as trademark infringements, including the production Read More

Agriculture, forestry and fishing contributed 4.3 per cent of global GDP in 2022 and account for large shares of the GDP for developing economies. A healthy agricultural sector is vital to eradicating hunger and poverty. Illicit trade in agri-food and beverages, in its various manifestations, undermines sustainable farming, limits crop yields and jeopardizes the delivery of fair, safe and sustainable food supplies. This chapter examines how this form of illicit act Read More

This chapter presents an overview of food fraud cases through a criminal justice lens, primarily focusing on the varied tactics employed by criminals to infiltrate the legitimate food supply chain and market fraudulent food products to unsuspecting consumers. These deceptive practices typically involve the manipulation of legal entities and operations. Our findings emphasize the need for a multifaceted criminal justice response, one that considers the Read More

This is the first WTO publication on illicit trade in food and food fraud. It includes contributions from participants in the WTO’s Annual Agriculture Symposium, held in Geneva, 11-12 December 2023, which explored this topic. At the Symposium, prominent experts discussed the various forms and definitions of illicit trade in food and food fraud, the links to international trade and ways to combat the phenomenon effectively.

All of the people and activities that play a part in growing, transporting, supplying and consuming food – known as the (agri-)food system – need to be involved in addressing the complexities of food fraud. Trade globalization, the lengthening of food supply chains, the fast growth of e-commerce of food and vast informal food economies all provide new possibilities for food fraud. This chapter presents different strategies for policymakers and regulator Read More

Accord sur les obstacles techniques au commerce L’Accord sur les obstacles techniques au commerce (OTC) vise à faire en sorte que les règlements, les normes et les procédures d’essai et de certification appliqués par les Membres de l’OMC ne créent pas d’obstacles non nécessaires au commerce. Examen annuel de l’Accord OTC Le Comité des obstacles techniques au commerce de l’OMC recueille chaque année des données sur la mise en oeuvre de Read More

The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference, marks a major step forward for ocean sustainability by prohibiting harmful fisheries subsidies, which are a key factor in the widespread depredation of the world’s fish stocks. Implementing the new disciplines will present challenges for many developing country members, especially least-developed countries. The objective of this report is to examine existing bilatera Read More