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.
ATCWG activities that contribute to food safety include:
The 2008 Quarantine Regulators Seminar: Towards Implementing Harmonized Arrangements for Ensuring Effective Quarantine Treatments , held in Brisbane, Australia, on 4-6 March 2008. At this meeting of government regulators on the effective implementation and regulation of quarantine management systems, participants focused on the Australian Fumigation Accreditation Scheme (AFAS) methodology which has been recognized as a tool for successfully implementing methyl bromide fumigation company management systems and how it can be adapted to other quarantine treatments. The expansion of the AFAS methodology to incorporate additional treatments will significantly enhance occupational health and safety awareness. This also provides the possibility of voluntary multilateral arrangements to be developed to improve quarantine effectiveness which reduce import and export costs and delays.
The APEC Workshop on Avian Influenza Risks in the Live Bird Market System (LBMS) held in Bali, Indonesia, on 9 June 2008. Laos ,Cambodia, FAO, OIE, and WHO also attended. The goal of this technical and policy meeting was to advance cooperation among APEC economies to consider the Live Bird Market System (LBMS) as an important compartment to control highly pathogenic avian influenza, especially in developing member economies where there is a higher number of live bird markets. The meeting jointly engaged veterinary and human health sectors and encouraged the business sector to play a vigorous role in the prevention and control of Hig hly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The discussion also contributed to food safety, regulatory cooperation and lending greater confidence to consumers.
THE ANNUAL ATCWG MEETING The ATCWG held its 12th meeting in Bali, Indonesia, on 10-13 June 2008. They recognized the seriousness of the food price issue and the need to re-align ATCWG's priorities accordingly. This includes ways to do its part to strengthen the APEC Food System which fundamentally offers a long-term approach to regional food security. The ATCWG shifted its priorities to better take on this challenge, including agricultural productivity improvement, environmental sustainability and regulatory co-operation. Members also agreed to re-focus the ATCWG's priorities and update the terms of reference to reflect priorities such as environmental sustainability, productivity and diversification; biotechnology; regulatory co-operation; and structural adjustment. The terms of reference are pending final approval from all ATCWG members.
The ATCWG member economies' high levels of engagement and their commitment to advance agriculture and food sector issues is reflected in the 15 new projects seeking APEC funding and the 2 new self funded projects proposed for 2009.
