. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/941 
27 July 2004 
 (04-3243) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
   
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved: 
2. Agency responsible:   Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):   Cattle 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:   
Trading Partners  
5. Title, language  and number of pages of the notified document:  Tuberculosis in Cattle; 
Import Requirements, Volume 69 Number 138, available in English pages 43283-43285, 
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/24 22/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/04-
16282.htm  or 
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor/all.html  
6. Description of content:  The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is 
amending the animal importation re gulations to require that steers and spayed heifers with 
any evidence of horn growth that are entering the United States meet the same tuberculosis 
testing requirements as sexually intact animals entering the United States.  In their current 
form, the regulations do not distinguish between  steers and spayed heifers imported strictly 
as feeders and those with horn growth, which ma y be used for exhibitions, rodeos, roping 
and bulldogging practices.  Animals used fo r these purposes are often maintained longer 
than feeder cattle.  The longer the life span of an animal, the greater the chances are that, if 
exposed to tuberculosis, it will contract th e disease, develop generalized disease, and 
spread it to other animals.  APHIS believes that the risks of tuberculosis transmission 
associated with steers and spayed heifers with horn growth justify regulating the importation of such animals in a manner equivalent to the way APHIS regulates sexually intact cattle, which also have longer life spans than feeder cattle and are consequently more 
likely to spread tuberculosis if  they have been exposed to that disease.  This action is 
necessary to reduce the risk of imported cattle transmitting tuberculosis to domestic 
livestock in the United States. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [    ] food safety, [ X ] animal health, [   ] plant protection, 
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [   ]  protect territory from other 
damage from pests  
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s)  and reason for urgent action:   This action is necessary to 
reduce the risk of imported cattle transmitti ng tuberculosis to domestic livestock in the 
United States. G/SPS/N/USA/941 
Page 2  
 
9. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:  
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [ X ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:  
10. Relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:   English 
11. Date of entry into force/period  of application (as applicable):   19 August 2004 with 
comments to Docket 03-081-1 by 20 September 2004. 
12. 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:    
Julie Morin, Room 5545 South Agriculture Building, Stop 1027, 1400 Independence Ave. 
S.W., Washington DC 20250, Tel:  202 720-4051, Fax:  202 690 0677,  FSTSD@FAS. USDA.GOV.
 
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notification authority, [   ] National enquiry 
point,  or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: