Josling, Tim --- "Private Standards and Trade" [2012] ELECD 120; in McMahon, A. Joseph; Desta, Geboye Melaku (eds), "Research Handbook on the WTO Agriculture Agreement" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012)

Book Title: Research Handbook on the WTO Agriculture Agreement

Editor(s): McMahon, A. Joseph; Desta, Geboye Melaku

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781848441163

Section: Chapter 8

Section Title: Private Standards and Trade

Author(s): Josling, Tim

Number of pages: 21

Extract:

8 Private standards and trade
Tim Josling


I. INTRODUCTION
Among the more intriguing developments in international agricultural
and food trade over the past decade has been the rapid growth in the
number and scope of private standards. These standards have arisen as
a result of developments in the markets for and the marketing of foods,
as described below. But they have also been a response to the evolution
of public standards, notably those regulating health and safety. This
apparent overlap between the public and the private sector standards
adds both to the complexity of the issue and to the amount of interest
shown in the subject by students of trade law and economics.
Along with the proliferation of the standards themselves has been a
minor boom in the literature on the subject.1 However, empirical
studies that enable one to generalize on the impacts of standards on
trade are still relatively rare.2 As with most issues related to qualitative
regulations, finding a basis for the measurement of market impacts is
challenging. This chapter will therefore focus on the issue of the impact
of private standards on the governance of the international food
system rather than attempts to assess the quantitative effects on
particular stakeholders.



II. WHAT ARE PRIVATE STANDARDS?

Standards for products sold on domestic or international markets
provide information. Depending on the reliability of the information
and conformity with the standard, buyers are given an assurance that
the product meets certain requirements and possesses certain
attributes. This information ...