2014 Beijing

The second meeting under the Wine Regulatory Forum's five year plan to reduce barriers to trade in wine among APEC economies was held on 11-12 September 2014 in Beijing, China with government officials and industry representatives from sixteen member economies in attendance. The 2014 Beijing meeting took place alongside the 13 September 2014 APEC Food Safety Cooperation Forum (FSCF) Special Session, where WRF participants who are members of the working groups on export certificates and pesticide MRLs were invited to participate. 

APEC economies, through the WRF, continued to acknowledge that wine is a low risk food product and that testing requirements should be risk-based, fit for purpose, and kept to a minimum to encourage trade. Participants identified the following action items to be initiated before the next meeting of the forum expected to be held in November 2015 in Australia:

  • Reduction in Export Certificates: A template for an APEC wine export certificate for use in economies where certification is required will be drafted based on the model provided by Codex Alimentarius. The objective will be to design a certificate which includes no requirement for chemical analysis.

  • Enhanced Risk Controls: Members will establish a ring test program open to laboratories from all APEC economies, to promote consistency and accuracy of analytical testing of key wine parameters: alcohol, sugar, sulphites and possibly metals. Members of the Working Group on Maxiumum Residue Limits (MRLs) wil identify a priority list of pesticides for which Codex MRLs may be developed.

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On 8 November 2014 in Beijing, APEC Ministers recognized the WRF work in a joint statement detailing new actions for deepening the Asia-Pacific partnership to navigate the changing regional and global landscape and boost economic recovery. The Ministers declared in part, "To increase wine production, to expand trade, and to create jobs in the region, we commit to eliminating unnecessary export certification for wine by 2018 and instruct officials to advance this work."

For additional meeting information, please refer to the meeting invitation, agenda, and presentations. Participants may also access the Export Certificate, Food Safety, Labeling, and Pesticide Residue Compendia. Please contact us with questions or to obtain the access details for the information above.