Provisional Translation
| OTO No. | 588 | Classification | MHW-250 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of Acceptance | February 26, 1999 | Ministry/Agency Receiving Complaint | Economic Planning Agency |
| Responsible Ministries | Ministry of Health and Welfare | Related Laws | Food Sanitation Law |
| Complainant | Domestic firm | Exporting Countries | |
| Subject | Reducing inspection expenses for food imports | ||
| Description of Complaint | (1) When (canned) agricultural or fisheries products are imported, the quarantine station requires extensive testing and the testing fees (fees approved by the Minister for Health and Welfare) are expensive as well. Since these tests are required each time, regardless of previous imports of the products in question, this increases import costs. Additionally, since there is only one designated laboratory in Okinawa prefecture, importers have no choice of laboratories which could carry out testing at a lower cost. (2) To reduce the burden of testing fees, the test categories and the number of times testing is required should be reduced, taking previous imports into account. The number of designated laboratories should also be increased, to introduce the principle of competition and reduce testing fee levels. |
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| Details of Measures | 1. The ministry replied as follows: (1) In accordance with the specification standards set out in the Food Sanitation Law, and based on information about numerous infractions for similar products in the past, the quarantine station instructs importers to ascertain that imported foods conform to the Food Sanitation Law. However, such instruction takes place about once a year and is not carried out each time products are imported. (2)Although it is desirable that the laboratories checking the products be ministry-designated, the ministry designates laboratories on the basis of applications made by the laboratories; the Minister for Health and Welfare does not voluntarily grant such designation. Further, it is the ministry's understanding that the voluntary testing fees of designated laboratories are based on contracts between the laboratories and the parties requesting testing. 2. In the March 21, 2000 "Policy Actions on Market Access Issues as Concerns Standards, Certifications and Others", the OMA decided that the ministry would study the status of testing organizations, including the matter of making private sector testing organizations eligible for designation as testing organizations under the Food Sanitation Law, and reach a conclusion during 2000. |
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| Classification of Processing | A | Directions | II-a |
| Remarks | |||