February 26, 2006	Sunday	Muharram 27, 1427

ISLAMABAD, Feb 25: Pakistan has sought technical assistance from the WTO to implement international standards on food safety and animal and plant health under the sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards (SPS).

An official told Dawn on Saturday that the WTO secretariat had a funding to help developing nations adopt science-based animal and plant health and food safety standards that were so sensitive to trade.

Under the WTO, a separate programme — the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) -– was established in 2002 to extend assistance to developing and least developed countries (LDCs) in implementing these standards.

During the current year, new projects would be approved for developing states and the LDCs. The funding would enable Pakistan to meet the requirements of importing countries on food safety, or animal or plant health.

Keeping up with new SPS standards in export markets is a challenge for ever country, particularly for developing and least developed states, the official added.