National Sanitary and Phytosanitary systems promoting food and nutrition security

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National Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) systems play an important role in ensuring food and nutrition security through protecting human, animal, and plant health; supporting economic development; promoting environmental sustainability; ensuring compliance with international standards; and building public trust and confidence in agrifood systems.

This came to the fore during a Workshop on the Validation of SPS Communication Strategy, Action Plan, and Corporate Brand SPS Programme in Africa organised by the African Union Commission (AUC) that is running from 24-27 September 2024 in Lusaka, Zambia.

Addressing workshop participants, Chiluba Mwape, the Senior Advisor of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Systems of the African Union Commission (AUC) alluded to the importance of National SPS initiatives.

“The National SPS systems are important in preventing the spread of diseases and pests and ensuring food safety and security by safeguarding biodiversity and ensuring ecosystem health. They also facilitate international trade, enhance market access for agricultural products, and protect domestic industries like horticulture, and livestock,” Mwape said.

He said national SPS systems promote environmental sustainability since they prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species; reduce chemical usage in agriculture, and support sustainable agriculture practices.

They also ensure compliance with international standards that meet World Trade Organization (WTO) SPS Agreement requirements; align with international standards (e.g., Codex Alimentarius, OIE, IPPC); and facilitate trade with other countries.

In his presentation on the status of SPS implementation at the national level, Martin Siazemo from the Communications, Documentation, and Programs Unit of the Department of Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Service in the Ministry of Agriculture of Zambia said there is a need to activate the National SPS Committee in the country.

“There is a need to strengthen collaboration, coordination, cooperation, and communication among SPS agencies in the country. We also need to restructure the SPS notification i.e., decentralize and enable SPS Agencies to do it and expedite the update of the old SPS legislation,” he said.

In her presentation on the Uganda SPS Governance and Communication Structures, Challenges, and Examples of Best Practices, Joyce Brenda Kisingiri, Senior Agricultural Inspector – Phytosanitary in the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), said her country is a Member of the EastAfricanCommunity(EAC), Inter-Governmental Development Organisation (IGAD), COMESA The African Union (AU), and the World Trade Organisation(WTO).

She said MAAIF’s Departments of Animal Health, Crop Inspection and Certification, and Fisheries Quality and Regulation collaborate with other Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to establish and implement an effective and sustainable SPS management and control system that protects the human, animal and plant life and health, and promotes trade.

“These departments coordinate, control, and regulate the national, regional, and international trade of agricultural produce and products. They also ensure compliance with international principles like the WTO-SPS Agreement and develop a rule-based SPS management and control system while building capacity for the public and private sectors to comply,” Kisingiri added.

Kellen K. Karuti, the Deputy Director of Corporate Communications of the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) said her institution’s role is to undertake regulatory function in the Agricultural sector on matters regarding plant protection, seeds, and plant varieties to ensure the quality of agricultural inputs and produce.

She said KEPHIS is the designated National Plant Protection Organization, the National Designated Authority on Seed Quality, and the National Plant Breeders Rights Office.

She added that Kenya is also a signatory to several international conventions, agreements, and treaties that KEPHIS implements on its behalf. These include the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and East African Community (EAC), OECD Fruit and Vegetables Schemes, OECD Seed Schemes and OECD Forest Seed and Plant Scheme, the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plant (UPOV), CODEX Alimentarius Commission, the World Trade Organization-Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (WTO-SPS) and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) among others.

KEPHIS conducts phytosanitary inspections for plants and plant products to ensure compliance with SPS measures. One of the key SPS tools used by KEPHIS is Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) which helps establish import conditions and identify pest-free areas, ensuring the country is protected from harmful pests.

“KEPHIS assures the quality of seed, fertilizers, water for irrigation, soil, and pesticide formulations, through the accredited laboratories at Headquarters (Karen), Muguga, Nakuru, and Kitale. It also carries out border inspections to ensure that agricultural products crossing international borders comply with safety regulations designed to prevent the introduction of pests, diseases, and contaminants that could introduce pests and diseases and disrupt trade,” Karuti added.