At its 24–26 June meeting, the WTO's Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Committee) tackled a record 79 specific trade concerns (STCs), the highest number ever raised at a single session, with ten flagged for the first time.

Some new issues that were raised included mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons in plant products, pesticide residue limits in spices, import restrictions linked to African swine fever, shrimp import suspensions, and delays in approving hormone-growth-promotant-free assurance schemes, several of which have direct relevance for agricultural exporters navigating market access. 

Transparency push continues; The SPS Transparency Working Group, chaired by representatives from Chile and New Zealand, reported progress from meetings in April and June. A related two-day workshop drew transparency officials from 26 developing members, focusing on notification systems and uptake of the ePing sanitary and phytosanitary and technical barriers to trade (SPS&TBT) Platform, the tool used to track SPS and technical trade requirements. Notably, an ongoing project is improving ePing specifically in Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.

Mentoring system extended The SPS mentoring pilot, launched in June 2025, drew 56 requests from 23 members, resulting in five mentoring partnerships. Given strong member support, the Committee agreed to extend the programme for two years, with new mentor/mentee pairings starting in the second half of 2026.

Special and differential treatment Members discussed implementation of the MC14 Decision on Special and Differential Treatment for developing and least-developed countries. The G90 group welcomed the decision and called for a standing agenda item in both the SPS and TBT Committees, along with a WTO Secretariat stock-take of existing capacity-building efforts. West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) members backed the call to begin implementation.

Looking ahead: The next SPS Committee week is scheduled for 2–6 November 2026.