Workshops to identify non-tariff measures

Shreyas Tanna
Workshops to identify non-tariff measures

Grains industry, along with many others, has been highly impacted by the sudden increase in the NTMs (non-tariff measures) while the tariffs have considerably reduced because of the expansion in the free trade agreements (FTAs).

These Non-Tariff Measures describe the regulatory tools and the policy measures, other than the custom ones, and are capable of the potential to be able to affect the international trade in the goods market.

Pat O’Shannassy, Grain Trade Chief Executive officer of Australia, said at many occasions that NTMs are the legitimate technical requirements that are used in order to protect the consumers and also the environment, but when they are not in line with the international standards or are unjustified, and act only to protect the domestic industries, at those times they instead act as barriers to the international trade.

DAWE (the Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment) in the state of Australia, currently working with the Grain Trade of Australia (GTA), recently developed the project to bring the government and the industry of Australia, together, in order to identify the NTMs that are affecting the grain trade in the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation) region, for both the exporting and the importing economies.

Marion Healy. Biosecurity Plant Division assistant secretary of DAWE expressing his views on the current matter said that bringing both the government of Australia and the industry together, so in order to discuss the differences in the regulatory approaches of the APEC region, and discussing how to ensure a consistent approach to the introduced NTMs, will provide Australia with the opportunity to be able to create long-term benefits, not just for itself, but for all the economies that are involved in the grain trade.

He said that the benefits could include faster border clearance, reduced costs, confidence in the system of food safety, technical support for the developing economies, the building capacity and lastly greater integration and also facilitation of grain trade in APEC region.

Related Posts

  • Scientists Identify Cancerous Compounds in Coffee

    Scientists for the first time have recognized compounds in coffee that might be causing prostate cancer. The study has been conducted on mice, but not on humans so far. The first author of the study, Dr. Hiroaki Iwamoto said that…

  • Swiss government approves measures to cut healthcare costs

    Swiss healthcare is expensive and most of it is paid directly by individuals approximately 69 percent. The US has a more expensive healthcare system, according to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office. The political pressure on Switzerland’s government to address the problem…

  • Due to the misuse of non-opioid medications, “worrying” increase

    For isolated gabapentin exposure levels over five years as well as 43 percent for baclofen across four years, deliberate suspected suicide attempts increased by 80.3 percent. A significant new evaluation of non-opioid medicines, baclofen and gabapentin, shows "worrying" rises in…