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The Trade (Bottle Deposit Levy or Environmental tax) Act # 13 of 1991 (amended by Act # 3 of 1993 and Act # 4 of 1993, Act # 3 of 1998 and # 8 of 2002) provides for a refundable levy on beer, malt, stout, ale, aerated beverages and juices in non-returnable bottles or cans at a rate of EC$0.50 cents per bottle or can.

The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines remains fully committed and supportive of the Aid for Trade objectives under the WTO. We recognise that without Aid for trade, small vulnerable countries like those of the Eastern Caribbean cannot begin to realise their goals of sustainable development

The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines recognizes that Aid for Trade should create the enabling conditions for sustainable development among small Member States. This should take into account a modernised trade policy framework through a broader focus on sectoral issues and cross cutting measures such as information technology and renewable energy initiatives. A sustainable trade model should therefore be accompanied by a development aid package designed to positively impact multilateral trade liberalization while maximizing the benefits of production synergies through:
• Capacity-Building in Export Strategy Design and Management
• Capacity-Building in Trade Information Management and Market Analysis
• Capacity-Building in Quality Management and
• Standards for Trade and Services Development.

Trade related assistance should therefore be unconditional, demand driven, not related to any previous trade negotiations and incremental to existing programs. In this regard, such arrangements would mean non-reciprocity with developed countries. The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines remains committed to the process of liberalization, however, given its classification as a middle income country, development assistance under the Aid for Trade regime would continue to be miniscule. This technical barrier would therefore need to be overcome if vulnerable island Member States are to realise worthwhile objectives of sustainable development. In short, the limited progress Small Developing Island States have made in realizing true benefits from trade liberalization have been stymied by the unequal relationships and classifications with developed countries.

A licence is required for exports of frozen lobsters (HS 0306.12.00), as well as live, fresh or chilled, and prepared or preserved lobsters, and fresh or chilled conch; the relevant licence fees are: lobster, EC$1 per 2.2kg; and conch EC$0.5 per unit. Export licensing requirements are also in place for endangered plant species, wildlife (birds, animals, and products thereof), and bananas. The granting of export licences is administered by the competent departments of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, Forestry, Fisheries and Rural Transformation. According to the authorities, seasonal bans on the hunting or harvesting of certain birds (wild pigeons, doves, etc.), turtles, and oysters remain in place, but do not constitute export prohibitions.

An archipelago of 32 islands, of which only nine are inhabited, St. Vincent and the Grenadines has a rich diversity of flora and fauna across rainforests, mountains, and coral reefs that make it an interesting eco-tourism destination. Visitors are also drawn by annual regattas, music festivals, etc. Tourism has the potential to become the central pillar of the economy, as well as a primary source of foreign exchange and employment. Accordingly, the sector was one of the main recipients of public and private sector investment during the review period.

In general, imports of plants and unprocessed products must be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the exporting country. Imports of live plants and all unprocessed plant products and commodities, and non-commercial untreated seeds are generally subject to quarantine regulations, and imports of soil or products containing soil are prohibited. Import licences may be required for imports of live animals or their products.

Antigua and Barbuda enacted the Plant Protection Act of 2012 and the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Act of 2008. (…) The Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Act of 2008 contains the main provisions with respect to the registration, import, sale, transport, disposal, control, and inspection of pesticides. The Act establishes the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board (under the Ministry of Agriculture), which is in charge of implementing the Act. The Board is responsible for, inter alia considering applications for registration; granting or revoking licences; approving research permits; and certifying pest-control operators.

The OECS Member States, with a combined population of approximately 639,331 (UNDP: 2009 MDG Report) are small, vulnerable, open economies, which are heavily trade dependent. These countries are very volatile and prone to external shocks. Their main developmental challenges are their exposure to changes in terms of trade, tourism and foreign investment flows, as well as natural hazards and impact from climate change. In addition to their small size; high debt levels and limited fiscal space also pose significant constraints on governments' ability to address development needs.

A wide range of agricultural products are subject to import licensing and SPS measures (e.g. livestock products). Halal certification requirements have been in place since the previous TPR, and mandatory labelling of food and food ingredients obtained through modern biotechnology, which were gazetted on 8 July 2010, will be implemented from 8 July 2014 (sections 3.2.3.1, 3.2.5.1, 3.2.5.3, and 4.2.4); these requirements apply to both domestic and imported products. (…)