皇冠体育app

Article 6.1: Objectives

皇冠体育app objective of this Chapter is to enhance cooperation between the Parties on animal welfare of farmed animals.

Article 6.2: General Provisions

1. 皇冠体育app Parties recognise that animals are sentient beings.^{[footnote 1]} 皇冠体育appy also recognise the connection between improved welfare of animals and benefits to food production systems.

2. 皇冠体育app Parties recognise that the protection and improvement of animal welfare may, in accordance with their WTO commitments, be an interest in the context of a Party鈥檚 trade objectives.

Article 6.3: Right to Regulate and Improvement of Farmed Animal Welfare

1. 皇冠体育app Parties affirm the right of each Party to set its policies and priorities for the protection of animal welfare and to adopt or modify its laws, regulations, and policies in a manner consistent with each Party鈥檚 international commitments, including this Agreement.

2. 皇冠体育app Parties recognise that it is inappropriate to encourage bilateral trade or investment by weakening or reducing the protection afforded to farmed animal welfare in their respective animal welfare laws and regulations. Each Party reaffirms its commitment to improving and advancing the protection afforded to the welfare of farmed animals in its animal welfare laws and regulations.

3. Each Party shall use its best endeavours not to weaken or reduce the protection afforded to the welfare of farmed animals in its animal welfare laws and regulations, in a manner materially affecting trade or investment between the Parties.

4. Neither Party shall waive or derogate from its animal welfare laws and regulations in a manner materially affecting trade or investment between the Parties.

5. 皇冠体育app Parties recognise that their farming practices are substantively different but that each Party affords a high priority to animal welfare in its farming practices and that in multiple areas their respective animal welfare laws, regulations, and policies provide comparable outcomes.

Article 6.4: Cooperation

1. 皇冠体育app Parties shall exchange information, expertise, and experiences in the field of animal welfare with the aim of improving understanding of each other鈥檚 regulatory systems, policies, and strategic approaches, and enhancing animal welfare standards.

2. 皇冠体育app Parties shall cooperate in international fora to promote the development of scientifically based animal welfare standards. In particular, the Parties shall cooperate to reinforce and broaden the scope of the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) animal welfare standards with a focus on farmed animals.

3. 皇冠体育app Parties shall continue, strengthen, and build on their existing cooperation in the field of farmed animal welfare. To this end, the Parties shall:

(a) encourage cooperation on research in the field of animal welfare; and

(b) encourage non-governmental bodies of the Parties to exchange views, experiences, and information as part of wider collaboration in the field of animal welfare.

Article 6.5: Animal Welfare Working Group

1. 皇冠体育app Animal Welfare Working Group established under Article 30.10 (Working Groups 鈥� Institutional Provisions) (鈥淲orking Group鈥�) shall be composed of government representatives of each Party responsible for animal welfare matters. 皇冠体育app Working Group shall act as a forum for cooperation under this Chapter and report to the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Sub-Committee established under Article 30.9 (Sub-Committees 鈥� Institutional Provisions) (鈥�SPS 厂耻产-颁辞尘尘颈迟迟别别鈥�).

2. 皇冠体育app Working Group shall have its first meeting within one year of the date of entry into force of this Agreement and thereafter shall meet at regular intervals as agreed by the Parties. 皇冠体育app Working Group聽may聽meet physically or virtually as agreed by the Parties.

3. Prior to the first meeting of the Working Group, the SPS Sub-Committee shall, unless the Parties agree otherwise, establish the Working Group鈥檚 terms of reference and work programme.

4. 皇冠体育app Working Group shall be co-chaired by government representatives of the Parties. Reports of the Working Group shall be mutually agreed by the representatives of the Parties.

5. 皇冠体育app Working Group shall address matters agreed by the SPS Sub-Committee and make recommendations to the SPS Sub-Committee on these matters. In cases where the Working Group is unable to agree a recommendation, the Working Group shall report this fact to the SPS Sub-Committee.

Article 6.6: Dispute Settlement

Neither Party shall have recourse to dispute settlement under Chapter 31 (Dispute Settlement) for a matter arising under this Chapter.