BIOSECURITY

Biosecurity has become recognised as a necessary umbrella concept for the various legal interventions and regulatory activities explained above because of the profound impact of the globalisation of trade and other aspects of economics. On the one hand there are important international agreements protecting animal and plant life and biodiversity such as the the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). These reflect widely held concerns about the future of the planet's natural resources, especially in tropical and sub-tropical areas. On other hand the World Trade Organisation (WTO) through its agreements, especially the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), has provided an enforceable international legal framework for ensuring that measures to protect human, animal and plant life and the environment are consistent with free trade, i.e. measures should not be disguised..

Primary location: London United Kingdom