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| **[World Trade]{.smallcaps}**                    |                   |
|                                                  |                   |
| **[Organization]{.smallcaps}**                   |                   |
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|                                                  |                   |
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|                                                  | *                 |
|                                                  | *G/SPS/N/ZAF/18** |
|                                                  |                   |
|                                                  | 27 April 2004     |
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|                                                  | (04-1863)         |
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|                                                  |                   |
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| **Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary        | Original: English |
| Measures**                                       |                   |
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**NOTIFICATION**

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| ** | **Member to Agreement notifying:** [SOUTH AFRICA]{.underline}   |
| 1. |                                                                 |
| ** | If applicable, name of local government involved:               |
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| ** | **Agency responsible:** Department of Agriculture (South        |
| 2. | African National Plant Protection Organization), Pretoria       |
| ** |                                                                 |
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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):** Wood       |
|    | packaging material used in supporting, protecting or carrying a |
|    | commodity such as cases, crating, dunnage, drums, load boards,  |
|    | packing blocks, pallets, pallet collars and skids excluding     |
|    | plywood, particle board, oriented strand board and veneer.      |
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| ** | **Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent     |
| 4. | relevant or practicable:** Any country exporting wood packaging |
| ** | to South Africa.                                                |
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| ** | **Title, language and number of pages of the notified           |
| 5. | document:** Importation of Controlled Goods without a permit    |
| ** | (available in English, 2 pages).                                |
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| ** | **Description of content:** All wood packaging material         |
| 6. | entering South Africa shall comply with the requirements of the |
| ** | International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures, *Guidelines |
|    | for Regulating Wood Packaging* *Material in International       |
|    | Trade* (ISPM No. 15).                                           |
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| ** | **Objective and rationale: \[   \] food safety, \[   \] animal  |
| 7. | health, \[ X \] plant protection, \[  \] protect humans from    |
| ** | animal/plant pest or disease, \[   \] protect territory from    |
|    | other damage from pests**                                       |
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| ** | **International standard, guideline or recommendation:**        |
| 8. |                                                                 |
| ** | **\[**   **\] Codex Alimentarius Commission, \[   \] World      |
|    | Organization for Animal Health (OIE), \[ X \] International     |
|    | Plant Protection Convention, \[   \] None**                     |
|    |                                                                 |
|    | **If an international standard, guideline or recommendation     |
|    | exists, give the appropriate reference and briefly identify     |
|    | deviations:** This regulatory amendment is consistent with ISPM |
|    | no.15 of the International Plant Protection Convention of the   |
|    | Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations,       |
|    | particularly the International Standard for Phytosanitary       |
|    | Measures No. 15 -- \"Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging   |
|    | Material in International Trade\".                              |
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| ** | **Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are         |
| 9. | available:** Government Gazette No. 276 dated 5 March 2004,     |
| ** | available in English.                                           |
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| *  | **Proposed date of adoption:** 1 November 2004                  |
| *1 |                                                                 |
| 0. |                                                                 |
| ** |                                                                 |
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| *  | **Proposed date of entry into force:** 1 January 2005           |
| *1 |                                                                 |
| 1. |                                                                 |
| ** |                                                                 |
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| *  | **Final date for comments:** 30 July 2004                       |
| *1 |                                                                 |
| 2. | **Agency or authority designated to handle comments:            |
| ** | \[   \] National notification authority, \[ X \] National       |
|    | enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if    |
|    | available) of other body:**                                     |
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| *  | **Texts available from: \[   \] National notification           |
| *1 | authority, \[   \] National enquiry point, or address, fax      |
| 3. | number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:**       |
| ** |                                                                 |
|    | > Mr M.A. Holtzhausen Fax no: 09 27 12 319 6350                 |
|    | >                                                               |
|    | > Private Bag X 258 E- mail address: MikeH@nda.agric.za         |
|    | >                                                               |
|    | > Pretoria, 0001                                                |
|    | >                                                               |
|    | > South Africa                                                  |
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