Private standards and their role on international food market

Abstract

Trade of agricultural and food products on world market is protected by very rigid standards in order to protect health and welfare of consumers, animals and plans, consistent to number of international agreement. Standards can be often used as screen for imposing no tariff barriers with the purpose to preserve economic interest of companies from developed countries. In this process export from undeveloped countries usually is seriously damaged. Relevant economic literature is discussing role of World trade organization with special emphasis on negotiations on international level, partly neglecting role of other forms of provisions that can also have strong influence on quality and structure of foreign trade of agricultural and food products. This paper provides an overview of raise and development of private food safety and quality standards and analysis their increasing role on international trade of agricultural and food products. Most countries, especially those on low level of development, evaluate process of outspreading and richness of standards as an obstacle for export increase. Paper therefore explains positive effects that standards can have on international trade of agricultural and food products.

Trgovina poljoprivrednim i prehrambenim proizvodima na svetskom tržištu podvrgnuta je strogim standardima u cilju zaštite zdravlja potrošača, životinja i biljaka, u skladu sa brojnim međunarodnim sporazumima. Standardi su, međutim, često korišćeni kao paravani za nametanje necarinskih barijera čija je svrha očuvanje ekonomskih interesa kompanija razvijenih zemalja, najčešće na štetu izvoza iz nerazvijenih i zemalja u razvoju. Relevantna ekonomska literatura je dominantno posvećena ulozi Svetske trgovinske organizacije odnosno rundama pregovora na međunarodnom nivou, zanemarujući pri tome ulogu drugih formi regulativa koje mogu imati jak uticaj na obim i strukturu spoljnotrgovinske razmene poljoprivrednih i prehrambenih proizvoda. U radu je prikazan nastanak i razvoj korporacijskih (privatnih) standarda u oblasti bezbednosti i kvaliteta hrane i analiziran njihov uticaj na međunarodnu trgovinu poljoprivrednim i prehrambenim proizvodima. Većina zemalja, posebno onih na nižem stepenu razvoja, ocenjuje širenje i jačanje standarda kao prepreku povećanju izvoza, te se u radu posebno objašnjava kako korporacijski standardi mogu imati pozitivan uticaj na promet poljoprivrednih i prehrambenih proizvoda.