Like Products, Animal Welfare and the World Trade Organization
Like Products, Animal Welfare and the World Trade Organization
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喜欢产品、动物福利和世界贸易组织
DOI：
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发表时间：
2006
影响因子：
0.8
通讯作者：
Alan Swinbank
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Alan Swinbank
一些生产过程，例如有机或动物福利友好型系统，可以作为信用特征嵌入消费品中。可以开发涉及自愿标签计划和认证系统的市场机制，以确保提供消费者寻求的许多信用特征。然而，当信用特征引起道德问题时，自愿标签可能还不够，因为产品的生产和消费都会引起冒犯。因此，对不可接受的生产方法的禁令可能会作为政治反应出现。任何以强制标签的形式将禁令扩大到进口产品的尝试，或禁止进口并非按照本国司法管辖区规定的方式生产的产品，都可能违反世贸组织规则。关贸总协定第 20 条确实规定了一些一般公共政策的例外情况，但动物福利不是其中之一，而且有一个强烈的推定反对承认区分商品的加工方法。有人认为，在某些情况下对进口产品进行强制性标签是合理的，这些情况都已得到详细说明。生产者和立法者都需要尊重消费者的要求。由于过分尊重比较优势理论，以生产者为中心而不愿分解“同类产品”，不会增强世贸组织的权威。
Some production processes, such as organic or animal welfare friendly systems, can become embedded as credence characteristics in consumer goods. Market mechanisms, involving voluntary labelling schemes and accreditation systems might be developed to ensure the delivery of many of the credence characteristics sought out by consumers. However, when credence characteristics capture ethical concerns then voluntary labelling may be insufficient, as it is the production as well as the consumption of the product that causes offence. Thus a ban on unacceptable production methods may emerge as the political response. Any attempt to extend the ban to imported products, in the form of mandatory labelling, or a ban on imports not produced in the manner laid down in the home jurisdiction, will potentially fall foul of WTO rules. GATT’s Article XX does provide for some general public policy exceptions, but animal welfare is not one, and there is a strong presumption against the recognition of process methods for differentiating between goods. It is argued that there are circumstances in which mandatory labelling of imports could be justified, and these are spelt out. Both producers, and lawmakers, need to respect consumer requirements. A producer-focused unwillingness to disentangle “like products”, because of undue deference to the theory of comparative advantage, will not enhance the WTO’s authority.