Assisting Specialty Crop Exports: Regional Alignment of Pesticide Regulatory Systems and Trade Facilitative MRLs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, Trade and Regulatory Capacity Building, announces this funding opportunity to support the Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE) Initiative. This opportunity is intended to support initiatives described to promote the export of U.S. specialty crops to current and prospective foreign markets with three Tracks. Track 1: Alignment of Asian pesticide regulatory systems and trade facilitative MRLs This track will support harmonization of MRL systems in Asia with the adoption and implementation of risk-based pesticide regulatory systems and MRL setting consistent with Codex and/or the U.S. system, countering hazard-based policies and practices. Track 2: Alignment of Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) pesticide regulatory systems and trade facilitative MRLs This track provides bilateral and/or regional technical assistance to partner countries in LAC’s regional economic communities (e.g., the Central American Regional Economic Community, the Andean Community (CAN), the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM)). Track 3: Alignment of pesticide regulatory systems and trade facilitative MRLs in Africa The track aims to build capacity on pesticide registration and MRL setting to support the development and implementation of risk-based pesticide regulatory systems and MRL policy consistent with Codex and/or the U.S. system and based on the WTO SPS Agreement.