The ATCWG held its 11th meeting in Brisbane, Australia, in May 2007 and 15 agriculture exporting and importing member economies took part. At the meeting a process to align ACTWG priorities and activities with the broader APEC priorities and direction was initiated. An Independent Assessment of the ATCWG will be undertaken in late 2007.
Key issues for 2008 were identified, including:
Agricultural Biotechnology and Avian Influenza continue to be relevant to the broader APEC agenda and therefore remain priorities of the ATCWG
The ATCWG took on board new priorities such as Domestic Structural Adjustment which is consistent with APEC's broader focus on Structural Reform. Sustainable Land Management, Post-harvest Losses and Bio-fuels were also identified as priorities.
In line with APEC efforts to better utilize resources and create better synergies internally, the ACTWG Sub-group on Research, Development and Extension of Agricultural Biotechnology (RDEAB) will hold back-to-back meetings with the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology (HLPDAB). The annual meetings of the RDEAB provides a forum for (1) information exchange among member economies, enabling them to share their experiences with regard to research, development, and extension of agricultural biotechnology; and (2) for technical cooperation among member economies on issues such as intellectual property rights.
The ATCWG member economies' high levels of engagement and their commitment to advance agriculture and food sector issues is reflected in the 16 new projects seeking APEC funding and the 2 new self-funded projects proposed for 2008.
And on 9 September 2007 in Sydney, Australia, Leaders emphasized the importance of food safety in their annual statement. As a result it was agreed to "develop a more robust approach to strengthening food and consumer product safety standards, using scientific risk based approach, and without creating unnecessary impediments to trade".
Moreover, the Leaders agreed that "additional capacity building in this area is a priority". The implementation of food safety is cross-cutting among APEC fora and ATCWG will continue to play an important role in this area. The fall-out from health scares related to food can have global and long-lasting negative consequences. It is therefore important to enhance cooperation in food safety and create the confidence for increased trade.
