The SPS Agreement concerns the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures for food safety and animal and plant health regulations and may apply to LMOs. Article 5 of the SPS Agreement is of interest in the context of this training material since it addresses risk assessment and the determination of the appropriate level of sanitary or phytosanitary protection. Article 3 of the SPS Agreement recognizes the standards, guidelines and recommendations set by IPPC, OIE and Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Other WTO agreements, such as the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement, Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) may also apply to LMOs.