+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
| **[World Trade]{.smallcaps}**                    |                   |
|                                                  |                   |
| **[Organization]{.smallcaps}**                   |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  | **                |
|                                                  | G/TBT/N/USA/155** |
|                                                  |                   |
|                                                  | 23 November 2005  |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  | (05-5533)         |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
| **Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade**     | Original: English |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+

NOTIFICATION

The following notification is being circulated in accordance with
Article 10.6.

+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Member to Agreement     |   |                                 |
| 1. | notifying:** [UNITED      |   |                                 |
| ** | STATES]{.underline}       |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **If applicable, name of  |   |                                 |
|    | local government involved |   |                                 |
|    | (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):** |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Agency responsible:**   |   |                                 |
| 2. | State of California,      |   |                                 |
| ** | United States of America  |   |                                 |
|    | (160)                     |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **Name and address        |   |                                 |
|    | (including telephone and  |   |                                 |
|    | fax numbers, e-mail and   |   |                                 |
|    | web-site addresses, if    |   |                                 |
|    | available) of** **agency  |   |                                 |
|    | or authority designated   |   |                                 |
|    | to handle comments        |   |                                 |
|    | regarding the             |   |                                 |
|    | notification shall be     |   |                                 |
|    | indicated if different    |   |                                 |
|    | from above:**             |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | U.S. WTO TBT Inquiry      |   |                                 |
|    | Point\                    |   |                                 |
|    | National Center for       |   |                                 |
|    | Standards and             |   |                                 |
|    | Certification             |   |                                 |
|    | Information\              |   |                                 |
|    | National Institute of     |   |                                 |
|    | Standards and Technology\ |   |                                 |
|    | 100 Bureau Drive,         |   |                                 |
|    | MS-2160\                  |   |                                 |
|    | Gaithersburg, MD          |   |                                 |
|    | 20899-2160                |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | Telephone: (+1)301 975    |   |                                 |
|    | 4040\                     |   |                                 |
|    | Fax: (+1)301 926 1559\    |   |                                 |
|    | Email: ncsci@nist.gov     |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Notified under Article  |   |                                 |
| 3. | 2.9.2 \[** X **\], 2.10.1 |   |                                 |
| ** | \[ **  **\], 5.6.2        |   |                                 |
|    | \[ **  **\], 5.7.1        |   |                                 |
|    | \[ **  **\], other:**     |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Products covered (HS or |   |                                 |
| 4. | CCCN where applicable,    |   |                                 |
| ** | otherwise national tariff |   |                                 |
|    | heading.\                 |   |                                 |
|    | ICS numbers may be        |   |                                 |
|    | provided in addition,     |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable):**      |   |                                 |
|    | Seafood\                  |   |                                 |
|    | (HS Chapter: 03; ICS:     |   |                                 |
|    | 67.120)                   |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Title, number of pages  |   |                                 |
| 5. | and language(s) of the    |   |                                 |
| ** | notified document:**      |   |                                 |
|    | California Senate Bill    |   |                                 |
|    | 730, Speier. Organic      |   |                                 |
|    | products: aquaculture     |   |                                 |
|    | products. (2 pages, in    |   |                                 |
|    | English)                  |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Description of          |   |                                 |
| 6. | content:** The California |   |                                 |
| ** | Organic Products Act of   |   |                                 |
|    | 2003 regulates the        |   |                                 |
|    | production of products    |   |                                 |
|    | sold, labeled, or         |   |                                 |
|    | represented as organic.   |   |                                 |
|    | The act requires          |   |                                 |
|    | producers, handlers, and  |   |                                 |
|    | processors of organic     |   |                                 |
|    | products to pay a         |   |                                 |
|    | registration fee to the   |   |                                 |
|    | State Department of       |   |                                 |
|    | Health Services based on  |   |                                 |
|    | gross sales of products   |   |                                 |
|    | sold as organic in the    |   |                                 |
|    | calendar year that        |   |                                 |
|    | precedes the date of      |   |                                 |
|    | registration. The act     |   |                                 |
|    | makes it a crime for any  |   |                                 |
|    | person to sell, offer for |   |                                 |
|    | sale, advertise, or label |   |                                 |
|    | any product in violation  |   |                                 |
|    | of the act.               |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | This bill would prohibit  |   |                                 |
|    | any aquaculture, fish, or |   |                                 |
|    | seafood product from      |   |                                 |
|    | being labeled or          |   |                                 |
|    | represented as            |   |                                 |
|    | \"organic\" until formal  |   |                                 |
|    | organic certification     |   |                                 |
|    | standards have been       |   |                                 |
|    | developed and implemented |   |                                 |
|    | by the United States      |   |                                 |
|    | Department of             |   |                                 |
|    | Agriculture\'s National   |   |                                 |
|    | Organic Program or by the |   |                                 |
|    | California Department of  |   |                                 |
|    | Food and Agriculture.     |   |                                 |
|    | Because a violation of    |   |                                 |
|    | this prohibition would be |   |                                 |
|    | a crime under existing    |   |                                 |
|    | provisions of law, this   |   |                                 |
|    | bill would impose a       |   |                                 |
|    | state-mandated local      |   |                                 |
|    | program by changing the   |   |                                 |
|    | definition of a crime.    |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | The California            |   |                                 |
|    | Constitution requires the |   |                                 |
|    | state to reimburse local  |   |                                 |
|    | agencies and school       |   |                                 |
|    | districts for certain     |   |                                 |
|    | costs mandated by the     |   |                                 |
|    | state. Statutory          |   |                                 |
|    | provisions establish      |   |                                 |
|    | procedures for making     |   |                                 |
|    | that reimbursement.       |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | This bill would provide   |   |                                 |
|    | that no reimbursement is  |   |                                 |
|    | required by this act for  |   |                                 |
|    | a specified reason.       |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Objective and           |   |                                 |
| 7. | rationale, including the  |   |                                 |
| ** | nature of urgent problems |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable:**       |   |                                 |
|    | Consumer protection.      |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Relevant documents:**   |   |                                 |
| 8. | Complete bill history:    |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
|    | <http://i                 |   |                                 |
|    | nfo.sen.ca.gov/pub/bill/s |   |                                 |
|    | en/sb_0701-0750/sb_730_bi |   |                                 |
|    | ll_20051007_history.html> |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Proposed date of        |   | 1 January 2006                  |
| 9. | adoption:**               |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **Proposed date of entry  |   |                                 |
|    | into force:**             |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **Final date for          |   |                                 |
| *1 | comments:** 18 January    |   |                                 |
| 0. | 2006                      |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **Texts available from:   |   |                                 |
| *1 | National enquiry point    |   |                                 |
| 1. | \[** X **\] or address,   |   |                                 |
| ** | telephone and fax         |   |                                 |
|    | numbers, e-mail and       |   |                                 |
|    | web-site addresses, if    |   |                                 |
|    | available of the other    |   |                                 |
|    | body:**                   |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | Internet URLs:            |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | <http://inf               |   |                                 |
|    | o.sen.ca.gov/pub/bill/sen |   |                                 |
|    | /sb_0701-0750/sb_730_bill |   |                                 |
|    | _20051007_chaptered.html> |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | <http://in                |   |                                 |
|    | fo.sen.ca.gov/pub/bill/se |   |                                 |
|    | n/sb_0701-0750/sb_730_bil |   |                                 |
|    | l_20051007_chaptered.pdf> |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+