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| **[World Trade]{.smallcaps}**                    |                   |
|                                                  |                   |
| **[Organization]{.smallcaps}**                   |                   |
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|                                                  | **                |
|                                                  | G/SPS/N/USA/705** |
|                                                  |                   |
|                                                  | 6 June 2003       |
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|                                                  | (03-2929)         |
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|                                                  |                   |
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| **Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary        | Original: English |
| Measures**                                       |                   |
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NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES

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| ** | **Member to Agreement notifying:** [UNITED STATES]{.underline}  |
| 1. |                                                                 |
| ** | If applicable, name of local government involved:               |
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| ** | **Agency responsible:** Animal Plant Health Inspection Service  |
| 2. |                                                                 |
| ** |                                                                 |
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| ** | **Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified  |
| 3. | in national schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers       |
| ** | should be provided in addition, where applicable):** Solid wood |
|    | packing material                                                |
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| ** | **Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent     |
| 4. | relevant or practicable:** Trading partners                     |
| ** |                                                                 |
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| ** | Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   |
| 5. | Importation of solid wood Packing Material pp. 27480-127491     |
| ** | Volume 68 Number 97, www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor        |
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| ** | **Description of content:** APHIS is proposing to amend its     |
| 6. | regulations related to the importation of solid wood packing    |
| ** | material and adopt the international standard, \"Guidelines for |
|    | Regulating Wood Packing Material in International Trade\",      |
|    | which was approved by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary   |
|    | Measures of the International Plant Protection Convention on 15 |
|    | March 2002. APHIS intends to require that most wood packaging   |
|    | material entering the United States either be heat treated or   |
|    | fumigated with methyl bromide, in accordance with the           |
|    | Guidelines, and marked with an approved international mark      |
|    | certifying treatment. We propose to adopt the IPPC Guidelines,  |
|    | because they represent the current international standard       |
|    | determined to be necessary and effective for controlling pests  |
|    | in wood packaging material used in global trade, and because    |
|    | the current US requirements for wood packaging material have    |
|    | been shown not to be fully effective, as evidenced by the       |
|    | increased number of pest interceptions at ports.                |
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| ** | **Objective and rationale: \[**   **\] food safety, \[   \]     |
| 7. | animal health, \[ X \] plant protection, \[   \] protect humans |
| ** | from animal/plant pest or disease, \[   \] protect territory    |
|    | from other damage from pests**                                  |
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| ** | **Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reason for urgent         |
| 8. | action:** This action is warranted to control the pests in wood |
| ** | packaging material.                                             |
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| ** | **International standard, guideline or recommendation:**        |
| 9. |                                                                 |
| ** | **\[**   **\] Codex Alimentarius Commission, \[   \] Office     |
|    | International des Epizooties,**                                 |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | **\[ X \] International Plant Protection Convention, \[   \]    |
|    | None**                                                          |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | **If an international standard, guideline or recommendation     |
|    | exists, give the appropriate reference and briefly identify     |
|    | deviations:** Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packing Material   |
|    | in International Trade                                          |
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| *  | **Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are         |
| *1 | available:** English                                            |
| 0. |                                                                 |
| ** |                                                                 |
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| *  | **Date of entry into force/period of application (as            |
| *1 | applicable):** TBA                                              |
| 1. |                                                                 |
| ** |                                                                 |
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| *  | **Agency or authority designated to handle comments:            |
| *1 | \[   \] National notification authority, \[ X \] National       |
| 2. | enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if    |
| ** | available) of other body:**                                     |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | Please submit comments by 21 July 2003 to Docket No. 02-032-2,  |
|    | Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3c71,  |
|    | 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 10737-1238              |
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| *  | Texts available from: \[   \] National notification authority,  |
| *1 | \[ X \] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and      |
| 3. | E-mail address (if available) of other body:                    |
| ** |                                                                 |
|    | Mr. William Janis, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Stop         |
|    | 1027,Washington, D.C. 20250. Telephone: 202 720-9047; E-mail:   |
|    | <fstsd@usda.gov>                                                |
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