3.63.  Guyana's principal SPS legislation comprises the Food and Drugs Act (Act No. 12 of 1971), the Animals Health Act, the Plant Protection Act, and their regulations. The laws and regulations have not been amended or updated since 2015. The WTO Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures has not received any notification from Guyana since 2012.[52] Guyana does not have legislation covering genetically modified organisms or hormone-fed animals.[53]

3.64.  Guyana is a member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). The Ministry of Health has overall responsibility for human health, including food for human consumption. Other responsibilities have been allocated to three agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture: the Guyana Livestock Development Authorities (GLDA) (animal health), the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) (plant health), and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI). NAREI serves as Guyana's WTO SPS enquiry point and national notification authority

3.65.  Imported food, drugs, cosmetics, and medical or veterinary devices must conform fully to the laws and requirements of the country of their origin to be admitted into Guyana. These conditions are enforced by import licensing and the provision of production certificates from the exporting countries. The Government Analyst Food and Drug Department is currently conducting a legislative review of the Food and Drugs Act and its regulations. The labelling requirements enumerated in Table 3.10 vary by commodity, and are guided by Codex Alimentarius standards CXS 1‑1985, CODEX STAN 107‑1981, CODEX STAN 146‑1985, and CODEX STAN 180‑1991. Guyana's specific requirements for the labelling of pre-packaged food are an adoption of CARICOM Regional Standard CRS 5:2010

3.66.  Some long‑standing import prohibitions remain in place (Table 3.11). The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce issues import licences for animals, animal products, and animal parts, including hatching eggs, after import permits have been obtained from GLDA. These single‑entry permits are valid for three months and require submission of sanitary certificates issued by the relevant authorities in exporting countries. The main change since 2015 is that the GLDA now allows applications to be filed online from any country, and the permits are delivered online against payment of a processing fee. Live cloven-hoof animals are subject to import restrictions to ensure that Guyana maintains its status as "foot and mouth disease (FMD)‑free without vaccination"

3.67.  Most plants, plant products, and other regulated articles are subject to import inspection permits depending on their end use and level of processing. Importers apply to the NPPO for individual permits but also to register with the agency. The permits are valid from three to six months depending on the class of commodity. Each imported consignment must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the competent authority in the exporting country. The certificate must be issued no more than 14 days prior to the consignment's arrival in Guyana. All importers are encouraged to apply for import permits and receive the approval in advance of importation

3.68.  All imports of animals and plants (including parts and products derived therefrom) are inspected at the point of entry. The importer must notify the border office 72 hours in advance so that the inspection may be arranged. Inspections are conducted free of charge for the importer. If samples are taken for further analysis, the goods are not released to the importer until the laboratory analysis report has been completed. A quarantine facility for animals has been operational since 2014. No official quarantine facility exists for plants

3.69.  The Ministry of Agriculture conducts risk assessments for first-time imports of animals or plants, or importation from a new source. According to the authorities, these risk assessments are consistent with guidance provided by international standard-setting bodies such as the FAO.[54] Phytosanitary risk assessment may be based on: (i) a particular commodity or category of commodities; (ii) a particular organism or disease, or a group of organisms or diseases sharing common epidemiological characteristics; or (iii) one or more forms of conveyance. Guyana has protocol agreements with Barbados, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, India, Israel, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States allowing imports of fresh fruit and vegetables

3.70.  The Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA) is a regional body set up to facilitate a well‑organized and coordinated plant health system among CARICOM members. The CAHFSA executes SPS actions and activities that are more effectively and efficiently executed through a regional mechanism on behalf of the member States

3.55.  The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) is the sole agency responsible for the development of standards and technical regulations in Guyana. It is a statutory corporation governed by the National Standards Council (NSC), which is appointed by the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce. The GNBS serves as the WTO enquiry point for TBT issues

3.56.  Proposals to formulate standards are reviewed by the NSC and, if approved, referred to a technical committee for the elaboration of a draft standard. The technical committees are composed of representatives from various institutions: the Government, private sector, NGOs, consumer bodies, academia, and research/development. Priority is given to the sourcing of a relevant international standard or, if not available, a regional standard or national standards of other countries. Ultimately, if no other relevant standards are available, the technical committee may draft a standard unique to Guyana. The draft standard is advertised in newspapers, social media platforms, and letters, and stakeholders and the general public are granted 60 days to submit comments. Consultations are also held during the comment period. The technical committee reviews any comments received, prepares the final draft, and submits it to the NSC for approval as a national standard

3.57.  According to the GNBS, among the 600 standards approved, 371 are considered international, 43 are CARICOM standards, and the remainder are either nationally developed standards or adaptations of other national standards. Since 2015, 67 of the 86 new standards approved in Guyana were elaborated by international or regional organizations. A procedural change also occurred in the review period. If the intent is to adopt an international standard (with no deviations), the public is informed accordingly, and objections to its adoption must be submitted within 30 days

3.58.  The GNBS Act No. 11 of 1984 remains the legislative basis for the formulation of standards and technical regulations. The law is currently under review with a view to updating it.[48] The technical committees composed to draft technical regulations include a wide cross-section of stakeholders. They hold consultations, consider comments, and forward draft technical regulations to the NSC for approval as a national standard. Further approval by the subject minister and the Cabinet is required for a standard to become compulsory (or a technical regulation). More than 50 technical regulations are currently in force, up from 22 at end-2014 (Table 3.10). The newly added technical regulations mainly concern electrical fittings

3.59.  As compliance with technical regulations is mandatory, import permits are required for products covered by them. The GNBS oversees the issuance of permits for the products it is monitoring. The permits are generally valid for one year and should be obtained prior to importation, allowing approximately two weeks for the processing of permit applications.[49]

3.60.  A National Committee on Conformity Assessment (NCCA) meets quarterly under GNBS auspices. The Committee includes government officials and participants from the private sector. The purpose of the NCCA is to spread awareness of applicable standards relating to conformity assessment, discuss challenges, and find solutions to boost enforcement.[50] Two agencies the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department and the Guyana Rice Development Board have been accredited to the ISO 17025 standard for testing facilities. Guyana does not have an accreditation body for conformity assessment at present

3.61.  In early 2019, the Ministry of Business in collaboration with the GNBS launched a National Quality Policy.[51] The policy is one of the components of a project financed by the Inter-American Development Bank aiming to: (i) modernize the institutional framework for a national quality infrastructure; (ii) improve laboratory facilities and equipment; and (iii) implement a national export and investment strategy. The Government's 2021 budget makes an allocation of GYD 200 million towards the quality infrastructure project, which, inter alia, involves the construction of a state‑of‑the‑art laboratory

3.62.  At the regional level, the CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) is tasked with establishing and harmonizing standards and technical regulations of its members. Standards and technical regulations adopted by the CROSQ and approved by the COTED of CARICOM are prepared by special committees open to all interested parties. It is then up to the relevant national institutions to transpose the CARICOM instruments into national standards or technical regulations by way of their domestic legal procedures