Non tariff barriers pose huge threat to the grain sector.Ottawa—While applauding the federal government for completing three key trade deals, the Canada Grains Council (CGC) says those successes are just a first step.Now the government has to prevent its trading partners from bringing in non tariff barriers that undo the benefits of lower tariffs negotiated in the deals, GGC President Tyler Bjornson said. To do that, Ottawa has to become bold and creative.Otherwise the trade agreements “won't be worth the paper they're written on,” he said. The government “needs to take a hard look at all our trade negotiating strategies to deal” with non tariff barriers.While the Italian ban on Canadian durum is an obvious trade barrier, there also the actions by India against Canadian pulses and China on canola. He said Canada has to be vigilant in watching for others.The European, North American and Pacific agreements are “important trade facilitating milestones that together contribute to a more open tradingenvironment for Canada's grain sector and help to reduce non-tariff trade barriers.”However historically trade agreements “have not addressed serious non-tariff barriers such as those created by misaligned policies and regulations around approvals of pesticides and seed varieties,” he said. These barriers “pose the biggest threat to the grain sector's ability to access key markets abroad,” he said. The Pacific and North American trade agreements at least “contain language that deals with the more serious threats of non-tariff barriers.”Considering where Canada was a few years ago, the three agreements are a remarkable achievement. However countries will use sanitary and phyto-sanitary rules rules to undo the increased access to their markets the agreements provide.“The real challenge is to make sure our partners stick to the rules,” he said. When they don't, Canada has little choice but to take the offenders to the World Trade Organization, which is a slow and laborious way to gain resolution.The North American agreement does “makes progress towards reducing asynchronous approvals of biotechnology,” he said. “The agreement also contains stronger language around dealing with low level presence of genetically modified grain by compelling countries to deal with any occurrences without unnecessary delay.“Likewise, the CPTPP contains important language on regulatory harmonization. Specifically, the deal encourages science-based approval processes for biotechnology products. In addition, the text sets out a process to minimize the impact of low level presence (LLP) occurrences.”A positive sign on Canada's part is its joining with 13 trading partners in supporting a joint international statement on Agricultural Applications of Precision Biotechnology, he said.The actions by Italy and India have “caused painful repercussions for a lot of good people,” he said. They worked hard to create new markets for their products only to have the door slammed in their face.Canada has worked for years to gain clear international rules on LLP presence (LLP) of genetically modified and other traits in its exports, Bjornson said. “We've had no major incidents for quite some time but we can't let our guard down.”These issue are especially crucial to the grain trade which exports 80 per cent of its production, he said.Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.