U.S., Colombia Strike Three SPS Deals Ahead Of FTA Implementation

摘要

The United States and Colombia earlier this month agreed to resolve three longstanding sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) barriers to U.S. exports of poultry and rice ahead of the implementation of their bilateral trade agreement, which is scheduled to take place on May 15. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative this week released three separate exchanges of letters between USTR Ron Kirk and Colombian officials, all of which are dated April 15, addressing barriers Colombia had put in place to protect against salmonella, avian influenza, and a certain fungus affecting paddy rice. USTR had previously highlighted these three barriers in its annual SPS report, released on April 2.