Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
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Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group

 

The Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group (ATCWG) aims to improve economic development and social welfare in the APEC region by promoting agricultural technical cooperation between APEC Member Economies. The Group meets to enhance the capacity of agriculture and its related industries; to propose APEC funded projects and to share information and experiences in the areas of agriculture, biotechnology, animal and biogenetic resource management.

According to the terms of reference of the working group, the ATCWG focuses on, but is not limited to, the following areas:
  • Conservation and Utilization of Plant and Animal Genetic Resources
  • Research, Development and Extension of Agricultural Biotechnology
  • Production, Processing, Marketing, Distribution and Consumption of Agricultural Products
  • Plant and Animal Quarantine and Pest Management
  • Cooperative Development of Agricultural Finance System
  • Agricultural Technology Transfer and Training
  • Sustainable Agriculture and Related Environmental Issues
The ACTWG contributes to APEC's trade facilitation agenda by reducing business transaction costs, building capacity in marketing, and managing the implementation of FTAs involving trade in agricultural products. Priority is given to those activities which increase members' capacities to increase trade in agricultural products.

In November 1996 the Agricultural Technical Cooperation Experts' Group (ATCEG) was established to promote agricultural technical cooperation between APEC member economies. Experts in earlier meetings had agreed on a program of cooperative activities to enhance agriculture's contribution to the region's economic growth and social well-being. In Brunei in 2000 the forum was renamed from the ATCEG to the ATC Working Group (ATCWG). The ATCWG is composed of government officials and experts from universities and the public and private sectors.

Achievements

A symposium titled "Achieving Improved Quarantine Treatment Capability through the Implementation of the Australian Fumigation Accreditation Scheme (AFAS) Approach", was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, between 17-19 April 2007. The purpose of the symposium was to encourage and assist additional economies to expanding their quarantine capacity, broaden the types of quarantine treatments and further improve international quarantine measures to facilitate movement in trade.

The ACTWG has also been working closely with the Electronic Commerce Steering Group (ECSG) to implement E-CERT - a web-based system for electronic health certification of agricultural exports that will facilitate trade in agricultural products and reduce transaction costs. The Fumigation Accreditation Scheme, supported by the ATCWG, will also help to reduce business transaction costs.

Current Activities

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.

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Agricultural and Technical Cooperation Working Group (ATCWG) - Key Contacts
Lead Shepherd
Mr Paul MURPHY
Executive Director
Programs and Multilateral Affairs
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
930 Carling Av 10th Floor
Ottawa K1A0C5
Canada
Email: atcwg_lso@agr.gc.ca
cc : nearingd@agr.gc.ca (Mr. Daryl Nearing, assistant to LS)
Tel: 613 759 7616
Fax: 613 759 7506


APEC Secretariat
Mr Phanpob Plangprayoon
Director (Program)
E-mail: pp@apec.org

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