Sanitary and technical regulations: Issues for trade liberalization in thedairy sector

Sanitary and technical regulations can impede trade liberalization in dairy products. The World Trade Organization tackle regulatory trade barriers ma inly through the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and the Technical Barrier s to Trade (TBT) agreements. Th SPS and TBT agreements are presented, focus ing on those provisions that are relevant for the diary sector. Arbitration of recent SPS disputes clarified the right of a country to set a particula r level of protection, as well as the role of international standards. Buil ding on the recent jurisprudence of the disputes settled under the World Tr ade Organization, the practical scope of the SPS and TBT agreements is expl ained. Empirical consequences for trade in the dairy sector are presented o n the basis of three examples, the Bst issue, the controversy on mandatory pasteurization of cheese and the definition and labeling of yogurts.