Acceptable risk in animal biosecurity import risk analysis: the New Zealand experience

The World Trade Organization Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) provides a framework for managing biosecurity risks in imported agricultural products, under which risk management measures applied to imported goods must be based on a scientific risk assessment. The most important consideration within this framework is the concept of the appropriate level of protection, which member countries are obliged to specify. Practical application of this framework for the importation of animals and animal products has revealed less objectivity than initially envisaged, both for the assessment of risks and for the risk-reduction effect of safeguards. Scientific uncertainty means that there is considerable room for contention between groups in favour of and opposed to a particular import. This environment means that acceptable risk decisions are to a large extent subjective in nature, requiring a participatory approach on a case-by-case basis involving a range of stakeholders.