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SPS Online has been developed by the United States Department of Agriculture as a resource for learning about Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, the SPS Agreement, and Risk Assessment with SPS.
The learning modules have been designed to be used in sequence, as an introductory learning tool. Once you are more familiar with SPS Measures, you may wish to use each module as a resource.
If this is your first visit to the site, start with the Tutorial, then progress through each of the modules. The tutorial takes approximately 10 minutes, and each module takes approximately an hour.
An introduction to the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary (human and animal health) and Phytosanitary (plant health) Measures of the World Trade Organization (WTO). After completing the learning module you will be able to:
- Explain to varied audiences the World Trade Organization SPS Agreement and principles and how they came into being.
- Explain the authority and responsibilities of each of the three key standard-setting organizations: IPPC, OIE, and Codex.
Module 2:
This learning module, second in a series, provides the
key concepts necessary to understand how the United States implements
regulations under the SPS agreements for plant and animal health.
We hope to help exporters or importers understand the general approval
process for importation into the United States of plants, animals, and
plant and animal products.
After completing this module you will be able to:
- Describe the general approval process for the importation into the United States of plants, animals, and plant and animal products,
- Explain how this process complies with international Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreements for plant and animal health, and
- Identify the inquiry points within the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for SPS related questions.
Module 3:
This module is intended primarily for program managers at the
policy level in Ministries of Agriculture outside of the United States. It also serves
as an introduction to risk assessment for their technical staff, who may then wish to
receive further training in the subject. U.S. commodity groups who have concerns about
or need help with imports or with exports are also potential audiences for this module.
The other audience is internal to USDA and consists of people who will either present the module or help others. Overseas they are primarily the Agricultural Attaches, either from APHIS or FAS. In the U.S. they are the staff of IS and others who make presentations to visitors (some of whom are APHIS trading partners who come to the U.S.).
We will do our best to explain the APHIS interpretation of what risk assessment is, why it is important, what risk assessment does and what it does not do, what it takes to get a good assessment done and what the international guidelines are.
By the end of the module you should be able to:
- Explain the APHIS definition of the risk analysis process and what the purpose and possible outcomes are of a risk assessment;
- Define the key concepts associated with risk assessment;
- Describe the risk assessment process;
- Identify different methods for conducting risk assessments;
- List the general guidelines for risk analysis related to plant and plant products as well as to animal and animal products.