3.71.  Several government agencies are responsible for sanitary and phytosanitary measures including: the MTIT; the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries and, within the Ministry: the Plant Quarantine Unit; the Department of Veterinary Inspection; and the VKI; and the ministry in charge of public health

3.72.  Suriname is a member of the Codex Alimentarius, the World Organization for Animal Health, and a contracting party to the International Plant Protection Convention (Convention of 1991). The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries is the enquiry point for the WTO SPS Committee

3.73.  The legislation relating to SPS measures is set out in several different laws, including: Animal Diseases Prevention and Control Act No. 23, 1954, which regulates animal production and importation for the purposes of preventing and reducing diseases affecting animals; Ordice regulating import, sale and use of vaccines, sera and biological diagnostics intended for use in animals, 1959, which prohibits the import, sale and use of vaccines, sera and biological diagnostics intended for use in animals without a valid permit issued by the Chief of the Veterinary Service; Plant Protection Act, 1965, which sets out rules for imports, transport and transit of plants and plant products. Under the Act, imports of plants and plant products are prohibited unless permitted under legislation; Pesticides Act No. 151, 1972, which was amended by Act No. 18 of 2005 to prohibit the import, sale or use of pesticides included in the negative list of the FAO; Fish Inspection Act No. 107, 2000, which applies to both capture fisheries and aquaculture, from catch or harvesting to sale for consumption or export. The Act provides for the establishment of a Fish Inspection Unit, with responsibilities that include developing standards, inspection and control, registration of facilities, and enforcement; Seed Act No. 51, 2005, which established the Seed Council to regulate the production, importation and placing on the market of seeds. The Act allows for the establishment of a Seed Inspection Service for quality control and certification which, inter alia, maintains a register of recognized seed importers; Animal Welfare Act No. 4, 2017, which, in addition to laws relating to the keeping and mistreatment of animals (including livestock), states that animals may only be killed: for slaughtering or hunting; if the animal poses an immediate threat to humans or other animals; for animal health and welfare purposes; or for law enforcement purposes; and Meat and Other Animal Product Inspection Act No. 17, 2017

3.74.  In addition, there are several decrees and orders providing detailed rules for the implementation of these laws, such as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Order No. 13, 2002, the Food Additives Order No. 14, 2002, and the Decree Containing Rules Regarding the Implementation of Quality Requirements for Fisheries Products No. 10, 2002.[37]

3.75.  Several projects are currently underway to improve the systems supporting food and feed safety, and animal and plant health, including: the Country Programming Framework for Suriname 2016-19, which is supported by the FAO, notes that food safety, quality and certification systems are essential to achieving the objective of Suriname becoming a major supplier of food for the Caribbean, as this requires meeting stringent food safety standards[38]; the Agricultural Competitiveness Program with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) notes that, while Suriname is currently free of several serious pests and diseases, such as foot and mouth disease and classical swine fever, its current status is vulnerable because: "surveillance and control systems, border control and quarantine systems are not operating satisfactorily. In addition, human resources capacity is outdated and limited and equipment is obsolete"[39]; and the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Programme included a component on SPS measures to facilitate CARIFORUM States gain and improve market access by complying with EU SPS measures and help the CARIFORUM States to develop their own regionally‑harmonized SPS measures.[40]

3.76.  Imports of plants, plant parts, and plant products require phytosanitary approval from the Plant Quarantine Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, and an import permit from the MTIT. An application for a permit is followed by a pest risk analysis, after which the permit may be granted, granted with conditions, or refused. In addition to the permit, import consignments must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate from the competent authority of the exporting country and, if required, the appropriate quarantine treatment. Upon arrival, the importer must notify the Unit, as inspection is mandatory, and the Unit must issue an Import Inspection Voucher before the Customs Department can clear the consignment.[41] A new Plant Protection Act has been under preparation for several years, but adoption remained pending as at early 2019

3.77.  Under the Meat and Other Animal Products Inspection Act, 2017, imports of meat and other products of animal origin must be accompanied by an import permit and a veterinary health certificate, issued by the competent authority of the exporting country. Additional requirements may be determined by the Head of the Veterinary Service, based on risk assessment and international reference standards

3.61.  The Suriname Standards Bureau is responsible for developing and implementing standards and technical regulations, for certification of goods and processes, for metrology, and for accreditation of laboratories and testing facilities. It is a correspondent member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and a member of the CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ), the Pan American Standards Commission (COPANT), and the Inter‑American Metrology System

3.62.  The principal pieces of legislation relating to standardization, conformity assessment, and certification are the Standards Act No. 121, 2004 and the Suriname National Bureau of Standards Act No. 30, 2006. The latter was amended in 2012[33] by changing the name of the Bureau to the Suriname Standards Bureau (Surinaams Standaarden Bureau SSB) and making it the WTO enquiry point under the TBT Agreement

3.63.  There are three procedures for developing standards: the normal procedure, which is used to develop a new standard where there are no relevant regional or international standards. The normal procedure takes 23 months; the development of a standard though adoption, which is used when there is a relevant regional or international standard. In these cases, where the regional or international standard is identical to the national one, the procedure takes four months; if the regional or international standard has to be modified, the procedure takes ten months; and the fast track procedure, which is used in cases of high importance or if a specific standard is needed for the protection of human, animal or plant health or safety, or for protection of the environment. In these cases, preference is given to referring to existing international or regional standards.[34]

3.64.  In all cases, the development procedures follow the same stages, starting with a proposal from any interested person or organization and, after examination and preliminary work, the establishment of a technical committee to develop a draft standard. The members of the technical committees include academics, consumers, and producers. Other government agencies involved in the development of standards include the Agricultural Health and Food Safety Unit (AHFSU), the Fish Inspection Institute (VKI), the Bureau of Public Health, the KKF, the Environment Hygienic Service, and the National Institute for Environment and Development. Draft standards are published on the SSB's website, with a 60-day period for comments; they are also published in local newspapers. The draft is then reviewed by the technical committee in the light of comments, and submitted for approval by the Board of the SSB. Requests for technical regulations are submitted to the MTIT. Draft technical regulations must be adopted by the Council of Ministers. Both standards and technical regulations are published in the Staatsblad and a local newspaper

3.65.  A list of national standards is also available from the SSB website. Since 1 January 2013, national standards have been developed for labelling of pre-packaged goods, basic hygiene and food safety for bread and pastry producers, guidelines for pig farming, booking agents and tour operators, and organic agriculture and horticulture.[35] Of these, the General Requirements for Labelling of Prepacked Goods (SSB 003:2013) and the Basic Hygiene and Food Safety for Bread and Pastry Products (SSB 006:2014) are technical regulations

3.66.  Suriname is a member of CROSQ, the regional inter-governmental organization established in 2002 to facilitate the development of regional standards, and promote the harmonization of metrology systems in CARICOM. As in other CARICOM member States, Surinamese entities may, through the national standards body, ask CROSQ to develop a regional standard. The proposal is then circulated to all member States for evaluation and voting and, if approved, one of the technical committees prepares a draft standard which is submitted to the member States for comments. The draft is reviewed based on the comments received, and is submitted to the Council of CROSQ for approval and then to the COTED for adoption as a regional standard. After publication, the CARICOM standard is distributed to the member States for implementation

3.67.  In general, the SSB uses international standards, such as ISO, Codex and ASTM international, or standards developed by regional bodies such as CROSQ, and the European Standardization Organizations. Where necessary, these are adapted to meet national requirements

3.68.  Suriname made one notification to the WTO on TBT matters, a technical regulation on general requirements for labelling of pre-packaged goods, and one on minimum requirements for basic hygiene and food safety for bread and banquet producers.[36]

3.69.  As at February 2019, the SSB had adopted two technical regulations (mentioned in the previous paragraph) and 191 standards. According to the authorities, all standards are based on international or regional standards

3.70.  Suriname has two accredited laboratories, the VKI, and the Central Laboratory. Suriname is part of CROSQ's conformity assessment scheme