• 沒有找到結果。

4. 從國際貿易觀點探討「免驗查扣」制度的 爭議

4.2 印度香米案

2011 年 10 月,印度指稱美國 FDA 因為在一批印度香米中發現有三賽唑 殘留(Tricyclazole,一種農藥,用於殺菌,預防稻熱病),而發布進口警 示。該貨物在沒有通知印度政府或出口商的情況下被扣留,而該進口商隨後 之稻米進口都被免驗查扣87。美國管制三賽唑係採定量限制之方式,因此,

印度出口商之印度香米因三賽唑殘留超過 0.01ppm 而被扣留。這些貨物的扣 留及測試費造成印度出口商巨大的損失88

印度認為美國此種定量限制之管制方式,與 SPS 協定第 5 條第四項89衝 突,該條要求會員國應儘量減少負面貿易影響,但三賽唑在印度、中國、日 本及泰國都廣泛運用於防範稻熱病,將對這些國家帶來貿易限制90。此外,

該定量限制之措施亦違反了SPS 協定第 5 條第五項91,因FDA 允許米糠、稻 殼、米麩等產品之三賽唑之最大殘留量為 30ppm,與印度香米之 0.01ppm 有

87 Specific Trade Concern 328, India’s concerns regarding U.S. default MRLs, limits of de-termination or limits of quantification on basmati rice under the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures G/SPS/R/64, paras. 47-48.

88 Id.

89 SPS Agreement art. 5.4: “Members should, when determining the appropriate level of sani-tary or phytosanisani-tary protection, take into account the objective of minimizing negative trade effects.”

90 Specific Trade Concern 328, supra note 87.

91 SPS Agreement art. 5.5: “With the objective of achieving consistency in the application of the concept of appropriate level of sanitary or phytosanitary protection against risks to hu-man life or health, or to animal and plant life or health, each Member shall avoid arbitrary or unjustifiable distinctions in the levels it considers to be appropriate in different situations, if such distinctions result in discrimination or a disguised restriction on international trade.

Members shall cooperate in the Committee, in accordance with paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of Ar-ticle 12, to develop guidelines to further the practical implementation of this provision. In developing the guidelines, the Committee shall take into account all relevant factors, in-cluding the exceptional character of human health risks to which people voluntarily expose themselves.”

所差異,而認其恐導致歧視或對國際貿易造成隱藏性之限制。該定量限制之

92 SPS Agreement art. 2.2: “Members shall ensure that any sanitary or phytosanitary measure is applied only to the extent necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health, is based on scientific principles and is not maintained without sufficient scientific evidence, except as provided for in paragraph 7 of Article 5.”

93 SPS Agreement art. 5.1: “Members shall ensure that their sanitary or phytosanitary meas-ures are based on an assessment, as appropriate to the circumstances, of the risks to human, animal or plant life or health, taking into account risk assessment techniques developed by the relevant international organizations.”

94 SPS Agreement art. 3: “1. To harmonize sanitary and phytosanitary measures on as wide a basis as possible, Members shall base their sanitary or phytosanitary measures on interna-tional standards, guidelines or recommendations, where they exist, except as otherwise pro-vided for in this Agreement, and in particular in paragraph 3. 2. Sanitary or phytosanitary measures which conform to international standards, guidelines or recommendations shall be deemed to be necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health, and presumed to be consistent with the relevant provisions of this Agreement and of GATT 1994. 3. Members may introduce or maintain sanitary or phytosanitary measures which result in a higher level of sanitary or phytosanitary protection than would be achieved by measures based on the relevant international standards, guidelines or recommendations, if there is a scientific justi-fication, or as a consequence of the level of sanitary or phytosanitary protection a Member determines to be appropriate in accordance with the relevant provisions of paragraphs 1 through 8 of Article 5 …”(劃線處為作者所加)。

95 Specific Trade Concern 328, supra note 87.

96 Id.

免驗查扣之情事。當貨物被免驗查扣時,進口商有機會證明其貨物中未含有 非法之殘留物。FDA 通常接受私人實驗室之檢驗報告,作為該貨物未含有非 法 殘 留 物 之 證 據97。EPA 建 議 三 種 替 代 三 賽 唑 之 農 藥 , 即 嘧 菌 酯

(Azoxystrobin)、丙環唑(Propiconazole)、肟菌酯(Trifloxystrobin)。美 國認為印度可以使用任何一種替代之殺菌劑來對抗稻熱病,或與美國政府一 同合作建立三賽唑之殘留標準。CODEX 尚未建立三賽唑最高之殘留標準

(Maximum Residue Limits, MRL),故美國鼓勵印度與 EPA 及 FDA 一起解 決此議題98

2012 年 3 月,印度再次聲明,對於美國查扣印度香米之事相當遺憾、擔 憂。印度主張在 SPS 協定第 5 條第一項規定之下,農藥最大殘留量之決定應 有科學證據佐證,並須合理提出檢測之需求。三賽唑在歐盟、中國、日本皆 可註冊使用,MRL 分別為 1ppm,2ppm,3ppm。根據 SPS 協定第 5 條第七 項99,當沒有相關國際標準時,會員國可採取其他國家之標準100。印度促使 委員會邀請 CODEX 依據 SPS 協定第 12 條第六項101審查美國措施之科學證 據。美國當局便同意雙邊磋商,印度促請美國根據出口國家之國內標準來允

97 Id.

98 Id.

99 SPS Agreement art. 5.7: “In cases where relevant scientific evidence is insufficient, a Mem-ber may provisionally adopt sanitary or phytosanitary measures on the basis of available pertinent information, including that from the relevant international organizations as well as from sanitary or phytosanitary measures applied by other Members. In such circumstances, Members shall seek to obtain the additional information necessary for a more objective as-sessment of risk and review the sanitary or phytosanitary measure accordingly within a rea-sonable period of time.”

100 Specific Trade Concern 328, supra note 87.

101 SPS Agreement art. 12.6: “The Committee may, on the basis of an initiative from one of the Members, through appropriate channels invite the relevant international organizations or their subsidiary bodies to examine specific matters with respect to a particular standard, guideline or recommendation, including the basis of explanations for non-use given accord-ing to paragraph 4.”

許進口,直到兩國皆能根據科學證據來決定MRL102

自2011 年 6 月初次檢測到三賽唑以來,FDA 已將 11 家印度公司列入進 口警示名單,且另外發現 7 項未被核准之農藥殘留。從 2011 年 10 月起,

FDA 從印度蒐集了 70 份印度香米之樣本,檢測出 36 種非法農藥物質殘留。

FDA 聲明,若能證明符合美國要求之食品,皆已開放進口至美國市場103。 FDA 於 2012 年間與印度出口檢驗委員會(Export Inspection Council)合 作,建立自願遵守計畫,以監測出口至美國之印度香米是否含有違法之農藥 殘留。全印度稻米出口協會(The All India Rice Export Association)認為,該 計畫開展了良好的農業外展工作,以限制違法農藥、化學物質之使用,使印 度農業得以進步。美國重申,印度香米之查扣,係因使用未經核准之農藥,

並鼓勵印度向出口商告知美國之農藥標準,以解決對美國進口警示之問題,

且得與FDA 及出口檢驗委員會密切合作,共同解決公共健康問題104。 筆者目前未能找出印度香米案之後續發展,僅能從新聞中推測,美國後 來將印度香米之MRL 提升至 3ppm105

4.3 小結

免驗查扣制度之優點即在於其運用快速預警之方式,將產品於邊境查 扣,得及時避免問題商品流入國內。然從寵物飼料案中,得以看出其缺陷在 於,因採取此種快速預警之方式,若資訊來源不夠快速、可靠,仍然無法阻 擋問題產品進口,而導致國內消費者或環境受損。

在印度香米案中,更能直接看出免驗查扣制度於國際貿易觀點下可能的 爭議。免驗查扣制度的實施前提是進口國制定的食品安全標準合乎國際貿易

102 Specific Trade Concern 328, supra note 87.

103 Id.

104 Id.

105 New EU Norms Likely to Hit Rice Exports from India, THE TRIBUNE (July 14, 2017), http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/business/new-eu-norms-likely-to-hit-rice-exports-from- india/436151.html.

規範。如果進口國食品安全規定並非依據國際貿易標準,又無合理解釋,就 可能產生爭端。

從這些國際貿易案例中,可看出免驗查扣制度雖為預防原則之體現,本 質上卻能合於SPS 協定第 5 條第七項之界限。SPS 協定第 5 條第七項規範此 種毋須充足科學證據之檢驗措施,僅得為暫時性之措施。會員國雖有義務要 盡力「蒐集」科學證據,卻沒有規定誰要「產生」科學證據。要之,雖然可 透過科學證據而取消查扣,但此證據是由被查扣的廠商或國家來提供,而非 由美國政府提供。如果廠商沒有提出科學證據,則此種「暫時性措施」可能 會永久生效。由於美國啟動此免驗查扣程序,其前提是有重大食安事件或有 違反其食品安全法規之前例,而且提供了廠商提出科學證據而從清單中除名 的機制,因此除非未來經過 WTO 國際爭端程序的檢驗,否則目前在解釋上 可認為尚符合SPS 協定第 5 條第七項之規定。

自美國免驗查扣制度之運作案例中,我國可以汲取該制度之優點,並設 法將其缺點改善。否則我國在查扣制度上較為繁瑣,如在此次106美國發現狂 牛症案例,我國仍冒著國民健康之風險未禁止美國牛肉進口,須先赴美實地 查核,瞭解當地牛隻生產管理,查核牧場、屠宰場是否符合規定,始能評估 是否暫停美國牛隻進口。若將同樣事件放在美國,從進口警示第 17-04 號文 中可得知美國在得知消息之時,即可將該產品於邊境查扣,無論該產品是否 確實有問題,都能先行保護國內消費者之健康安全,待該產品確定無虞時才 批准進口。我國在查扣檢驗制度上,仍須思考如何平衡安全管理與自由貿 易,維護國民及環境安全,同時兼顧自由貿易之需求。

106 美再爆狂牛症 我竟仍進口,2017 年 7 月 20 日,蘋果日報網站: http://m.appledaily.

com.tw/appledaily/article/headline/20170720/37721690/。

5. 我國食品邊境查驗制度與美國免驗查扣

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