The workshop pointed out that the need for MRAs between countries in the region was probably not as significant as the need to conclude such agreements with importing countries/blocs in other regions. The workshop identified some key activities which could enable countries to initiate the process of concluding MRAs.
Lack of experience in developing MRAs was highlighted by the workshop, although it was noted that ASEAN countries had developed MRAs for products in other sectors (non-food).
"Risk analysis - is the business of the management of risk - which also incorporates risk assessment, risk communication and risk management".
Increasingly, risk analysis is now being used as a tool for managing health and safety of food products. The analysis of risk by a country or group of countries is a tool by which standards can be established or negotiated and can strengthen producers and exporters ability to access markets or to challenge excessively stringent or unreasonable requirements of importing countries. Such assessments can be applied as part of the supply chain or can be more comprehensive covering the production process as well as the post-harvest chain. The absence of risk assessment for a specific commodity or evidence regarding levels of risk may provide opportunities for importers or buyers to impose their own standards and requirements upon producers and exporters.
In this situation, there is no guarantee that the standards imposed will reflect the actual risk and may draw from inappropriate situations or examples. It is, therefore, important that information for risk analysis is available to enable a country or producer to challenge inappropriate standards.
The workshop considered the application of the concept of an acceptable level of risk to the domestic and export food chains and provided some recommendations as to how to establish Risk Analysis as a basis for strengthening producers' and exporters' negotiating position. The workshop noted that despite the increasing acceptance of risk analysis as a means to establish fair standards, many countries continued to use their own standards which were not based on appropriate information or risk criteria.
It was acknowledged that there is a critical gap in the ASEAN region in developing risk assessments for internationally traded seafood commodities such as shrimp.
