The aim of the study was to identify goals of imposing non-tariff measures such as SPS and TBT in agri-food trade in association with the concept of sustainable agriculture. The relationships between agri-food trade and the environment and food safety were described. In quantitative analysis the data from the WTO-TIP Goods database for the years 1996, 2006 and 2016 were used. The study confirmed that the imposing SPS and TBT measures are determined by characteristics of sustainable agriculture and can be treated as premises for non-tariff protectionism.