What does the WTO say about port-of-entry testing of bees,
or any live animal?

This is from the WTO's own plain-English summary of the
agreements from the "Uruguay Round" of trade negotiations
(the emphasis is mine):

http://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/ursum_e.htm

  Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade

  " This agreement will extend and clarify the Agreement on Technical
  Barriers to Trade reached in the Tokyo Round. It seeks to ensure that
  technical negotiations and standards, as well as testing and certification
  procedures, do not create unnecessary obstacles to trade."

  However, it recognizes that COUNTRIES HAVE THE RIGHT to establish
  protection, at levels THEY consider appropriate, for example for human,
  animal or plant life or health or the environment, and should NOT BE PREVENTED
  from taking measures necessary to ensure those levels of protection are met.

  The agreement therefore encourages countries to use international standards
  where these are appropriate, but it does not require them to CHANGE their levels
  of protection as a result of standardization."

The "current level of protection" in the US includes inspection and quarantine
of every and every imported live bee.

No one has even mentioned "quarantines" in regard to the proposed regulations,
so it appears that the "current level of protection" is being massively relaxed
through the removal of major features (quarantines) that are well-known to provide
real protection.

But the WTO does not require anyone to accept "Trust Me" as their
sole "level of protection".  Not from anyone.  Not ever.

Further, we can't find a single country that imports ANY live animal
without some form of port-of-entry testing.  Let's not lower the bar for
the entire planet here, and create an new all-time-low in lax biosecurity
rules, less they be imposed upon your favorite country next.

So, a reasonable man would want testing, samples, and checks-and-balances.
Just like the UK does now.

What's so onerous about that?


        jim