我國輸入食品系統性查核規範之WTO適法性初探【本期企劃】 試閱
Regulations for Systematic Inspection of Imported Food and WTO SPS Consistency: A Preliminary Assessment
食品安全風險全球化之背景下，我國高度仰賴食品進口而須對輸入食品進行適當之衛生安全管理。制度設計方面，主管機關得透過不同管制模式以應對輸入食品安全議題，如事前系統性查核、邊境管制及後市場監測等。而針對高風險食品之進口管制，事前系統性查核為決定其得否輸入之關鍵。我國「輸入食品系統性查核實施辦法」係依據食品安全衛生管理法第35條第1項所制定，授予中央主管機關針對輸出國或地區之食品安全體系進行整體性監督措施。本辦法規範系統性查核之範圍及程序，並初步以肉類產品為管制標的，由主管機關進行書面審查及實地查核，以確認輸出國或地區之管理體系與我國食品安全管制水準具等效性。本文介紹「輸入食品系統性查核實施辦法」主要規範內涵及實務運作情形，並以此為基礎，進一步分析其與世界貿易組織體系下《食品安全檢驗與動植物防疫措施協定》基本原則與規範，如不歧視原則與風險評估等要求之合致性。
Against the backdrop of global food safety governance, the government has to take appropriate regulatory actions to address import safety issues due to the substantial dependence on imported food and feed products. Competent authorities, as a matter of institutional design, may approach food safety regulation via a myriad of methodologies, including ex ante systematic audit, border control, and post-market surveillance. Among such methodologies, the ex ante systematic audit stands crucial in determining whether a high-risk food product should be granted market access and imported. The Regulations for Systematic Inspection of Imported Food is promulgated as per Article 35.1 of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation to serve this very purpose. The Regulations stipulate the scope, rules, and processes of systematic audits, and apply only to meat and meat products at the moment. The Regulations authorizes competent authorities to conduct document reviews as well as on-site foreign inspections so as to determine whether the food safety management system of a given exporting country may be recognized as equivalent. This Article introduces the Regulations for Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, examining the normative contents and implementation issues therein. Premised upon such a review, this Article moves to offer a preliminary analysis on the Regulations’ (in)consistency with relevant rules under the World Trade Organization Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, including inter alia non-discrimination, risk analysis, and other procedural requirements.
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