August 6, 2024

(Ottawa, Canada) – The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) has introduced its Principles for Sustainable Trade, to provide a structured approach for government and interested stakeholders as they engage in policy discussions at the intersection of trade and sustainability.

As the world grapples with the dual challenges of feeding a growing population and protecting the environment, CAFTA’s principles offer a clear roadmap for balancing these critical priorities.

"Trade is crucial for achieving sustainable development and improving global food security," said Greg Northey, President of CAFTA. "Our Principles for Sustainable Trade provide a foundation for maintaining economic growth and productivity through open, rules-based trade while ensuring positive sustainability outcomes. Canadian farmers, processors and exporters grow our economy through trade. It's essential that sustainability measures do not become barriers to fairer and freer international agri-food trade or serve as cover for protectionist trade policies."

The newly launched principles emphasize the importance of practical and balanced sustainability measures that enhance trade without creating unnecessary obstacles.

"We must ensure that our efforts to promote sustainability do not inadvertently create barriers or excessive burdens," said Michael Harvey, Executive Director of CAFTA. "By aligning our policies with international trade agreements and encouraging innovation, we can ensure a more equitable and sustainable future for agri-food trade worldwide."

CAFTA’s Principles for Sustainable Trade will serve as a guiding framework for engaging with global institutions, including the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Conference of the Parties (COP), the G20, the G7, and other international forums.
This initiative underscores CAFTA’s dedication to promoting international trade as a key driver for the continued growth and resilience of the agri-food sector while also delivering on key global and domestic sustainability outcomes.

PRINCIPLES

1. Sustainable trade should enable and support economic and productivity growth.

2. Global food security is an imperative and international trade plays an integral role in the production and exchange of food across all systems.

3. Sustainability policy must reflect the latest recognized science and evidence, fully align with WTO disciplines, WTO agreements, and other international trade agreements, while supporting the adoption and use of new and innovative technologies across the value chain. These disciplines include principles of non-discrimination, transparency, and predictability.

4. Sustainability measures must not be a barrier to freer and fairer international agri-food trade and should not be used as cover for protectionist trade policies, regulations, and measures.

5. Trade liberalization should contribute to the sustainable intensification of production.

6. Natural comparative advantage should be a central consideration in the design and implementation of sustainable trade policies and trade-related climate measures.

7. Sustainability policies and trade-related climate measures must not impose unnecessary regulatory burdens, restrictions, or compliance costs on producers or the broader value chain.

8. Sustainable trade policies and trade-related climate measures must recognize that different countries have unique agri-food production conditions, practices, and systems and that there is no one size fits all approach for improving sustainability outcomes. Legislative, regulatory, and policy instruments should be designed to achieve sustainable outcomes, not impose prescriptive requirements, and not unfairly limit or restrict market access nor be applied extraterritorially.

9. Regulatory cooperation should be pursued in order to promote positive sustainability outcomes and encourage liberalized trade.

10. Decisions by governments impacting trade, including sustainability dimensions of trade, should be subject to dispute settlement, including at the WTO and within other trade agreements.

11. Countries should partner with agri-food producers, value-chain partners, and each other to reach positive sustainability outcomes aligned with the principles enumerated above.

-30-

​