RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/W/100
30 March 1999
(99-1257)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FROM MEMBERS ON THE USE OF
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
Note by the Secretariat
1. At its meeting of 15-16 October 1997, the SPS Committee adopted a provisional procedure to
Monitor the Process of International Harmonization.1  In accordance with paragraph 6 of this
procedure, five Members have proposed nine distinct issues for consideration by the Committee as of
12 March 1999.  All nine issues have been discussed at one or more meetings of the SPS Committee.2
2. Paragraph 8 of the procedure states:
"Based on the information provided by Members, and in the light of
discussion in the Committee, a list of standards, guidelines or
recommendations which have a major impact on international trade
shall be established by the Committee.  This list shall be reviewed ateach meeting of the Committee.  Members should provide
information, for each of the standards, guidelines or
recommendations identified, of any relevant trade impact, and on
their use or non-use of the standard, guideline or recommendation
and the reasons therefor.  The Committee may invite the relevant
international standard-setting body to consider reviewing the existing
standard, guideline or recommendation." [emphasis added]
3. The purpose of this note is to gather information from Members in respect of the issues
identified.  It is suggested that Members fill in the attached Annex and fax/e-mail it back to the
Secretariat.  Should Members wish to obtain the Annex in electronic format, please send an e-mail to
erik.wijkstrom@wto.org (cc:  irma.bracco@wto.org) with the word "Monitoring" in the subject line.
4. Each of the identified issues is set out in a table contained in the attached Annex. The tables
include sufficient information in order to give a brief explanation of the concern, as identified by the
Member who brought it to the Committee's attention.  For a more detailed explanation it is
recommended that Members refer to the original submission (the document symbol is indicated in the
table).
5. The deadline for responding is 17 May 1999 .
                                                     
1 G/SPS/11.
2 March 1998 (G/SPS/R/10), June 1998 (G/SPS/R/11), September 1998 (G/SPS/R/12), November 1998
(G/SPS/R/13) and March 1999, under the heading "Monitoring of the Use of International Standards".G/SPS/W/100
Page 2
ANNEX
Table 1
Disease/problem:
Requirement for control of Infectious Bursal Virus (IBDV) in cooked chicken meat
Submission by:
Thailand (G/SPS/W/99, 2 March 1999)
Commodities affected:
Cooked chicken meat
Identified concern:
At present, there is an international standard on this disease but it deals only with specific animal
health issues.  This disease is not a zoonosis, therefore it will not cause any harm to human health.
The OIE Code has listed IBDV in the List B diseases (Part 3, Section 3.6, Chapter 3.6.1).  Itsguidelines and recommendations are related to the importation of live birds, day-old chicks and
hatching eggs only.  Recommendations on trade of  poultry meat and poultry products are not included
in the Code.
Identified standard: OIE International Animal Health Code Mammals, Birds and Bees (1997)
YES NO N.A.1
Is your international trade significantly affected because of this issue?
Does your government use the identified standard?
Is there a need for an international standard?
1 N.A. stands for Not Applicable.
What are your reasons for using / not using the identified international standard?
or
What are your reasons for considering that there is a need for/ no need for an international standard?
Additional comments:G/SPS/W/100
Page 3
Table 2
Disease/problem:
Definition of "quarantine pest"
Submission by:
United States (G/SPS/W/97, 11 February 1999)
Commodities affected:
Fresh commercial fruits, vegetables, grain, oilseeds, and cotton
Identified concern:
The IPPC Glossary of Phytosanitary Terms provid es the following definition for quarantine pest: "a
pest of potential economic importance to the area endangered thereby and not yet present there, or
present but not widely distributed and being officially controlled".  Questions have emerged regarding
the meaning of "officially controlled".  This two- word phrase is not currently defined by the IPPC.
There is a need to agree on the meaning of "official control" to ensure a harmonized understanding
and application of this concept, particularly as it is used to justify phytosanitary measures on
intercepted pests.
Identified standard: IPPC Glossary of Phytosanitary Terms (in part)
YES NO N.A.1
Is your international trade significantly affected because of this issue?
Does your government use the identified standard?
Is there a need for an international standard?
1 N.A. stands for Not Applicable.
What are your reasons for using / not using the identified international standard?
or
What are your reasons for considering that there is a need for/ no need for an international standard?
Additional comments:G/SPS/W/100
Page 4
Table 3
Disease/problem:
Chlortetracycline (CTC) residues
Submission by:
United States (G/SPS/W/87, 12 February 1998)
Commodities affected:
Pork and pork products (potentially also:  cattle, sheep, chicken, turkey and duck products)
Identified concern:
Of the tetracyclines (CTC, Oxytetracycline and Tetracycline), only Oxytetracycline has a MRL
international standard. Codex is currently considering one MRL standard that would apply to each of
the three tetracyclines.  However, the draft MRL has not been finalized by Codex and therefore a
formal international standard for CTC has not been set.  Because of the impact on international trade,
it is important that Codex move as quickly as possible to finalize MRLs for CTC.  Some countrieshave no tolerance or maximum residue limit (MRL) in place for CTC.
Identified standard: None.
YES NO N.A.1
Is your international trade significantly affected because of this issue?
Does your government use the identified standard?
Is there a need for an international standard?
1 N.A. stands for Not Applicable.
What are your reasons for using / not using the identified international standard?
or
What are your reasons for considering that there is a need for/ no need for an international standard?
Additional comments:G/SPS/W/100
Page 5
Table 4
Disease/problem:
Bacilli and other organisms
Submission by:
United States (G/SPS/W/87, 12 February 1998)
Commodities affected:
Canned/Bottled Products, including jams.
Identified concern:
Codex standards for jam state that products should be "free from microorganisms in amounts which
may represent a hazard to health".  This standard presupposes that zero tolerance is not necessary to
eliminate health hazards.  Codex has recently elaborated its position on zero tolerance and health
hazards in Principles for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria for Foods(CAC/GL21-1997).  In this document,  Codex states that "the mere finding, with a presence-absence
test, of certain organisms known to cause food-borne illness ... does not necessarily indicate a threat to
public health".  However, certain countries have rejected jam imports containing bacteria (Bacillus
Cereus) without substantiating that the level or stage (e.g. spore) of bacteria detected poses a hazard to
health.  Other canned and bottled products have been denied entry into markets for similar findings.
This would appear to be inconsistent with the Codex standard and be an unnecessary trade restriction.
Identified standard: Codex Standard 79-1981;  Codex Standard CAC/GL21-1997, 5.1.3.
YES NO N.A.1
Is your international trade significantly affected because of this issue?
Does your government use the identified standard?
Is there a need for an international standard?
1 N.A. stands for Not Applicable.
What are your reasons for using / not using the identified international standard?
or
What are your reasons for considering that there is a need for/ no need for an international standard?
Additional comments:G/SPS/W/100
Page 6
Table 5
Disease/problem:
Frequency of controls to be carried out on bulls in collection centres
(brucellosis, tuberculosis, leucosis, IBR)
Submission by:
European Communities (G/SPS/W/96, 23 November 1998)
Commodities affected:
Bovine semen
Identified concern:
Semen collection is carried out before the final destination of the semen is determined.  Serological
tests must be carried out before the collection.  This constraint is difficult to manage as bulls used for
artificial insemination are usually tested on descendants and a minimum of four to five years isnecessary to carry out these tests.  It is only at the end of the period of testing that the commercial and
genetic value of the semen can be known and the possibilities of trade envisaged.  The absence of
consistency between the provisions of the OIE Animal Health Codex Appendix concerning bovine
semen and those of articles of the Code concerning the relevant diseases is the cause of disparities in
requests by importing countries.
Identified standard: Articles 3.2.1.4, 3.2.3.7, 3.2.4.4 and 3.2.5.7 and Appendix 4.2.1.1 of the
International Animal Health Code.
YES NO N.A.1
Is your international trade significantly affected because of this issue?
Does your government use the identified standard?
Is there a need for an international standard?
1 N.A. stands for Not Applicable.
What are your reasons for using / not using the identified international standard?
or
What are your reasons for considering that there is a need for/ no need for an international standard?
Additional comments:G/SPS/W/100
Page 7
Table 6
Disease/problem:
Use of benzoic acid as a preservative in sauces
Submission by:
Philippines (G/SPS/W/91, 2 November 1998)
Commodities affected:
Sauces such as oyster sauce, fish sauce and others
Identified concern:
Benzoic acid is an anti-microbial preservative used in sauces which require a shelf-life of 6-12
months, and therefore used in products marketed for export.  The lack of an international standard
allows countries to discriminate in the use of the additive.  Benzoic acid has an ADI of 5 mg/kg body
weight.  This has been used as a reason for restricting its use, as high levels of consumption of foodscontaining the additive could create a health risk.  However, as there are no internationally agreed
methodologies for assessing risk due to dietary exposure to food additives, the potential for
discrimination in usage exists.  The use of benzoic acid in sauces is included in the draft Codex
General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA).  It is important that the GSFA be finalized soon by
Codex as the lack of an international standard not only harms international trade in sauces but has the
potential to affect trade in other processed food products where preservatives are used.
Identified standard: No international standard;  only individual country standards
YES NO N.A.1
Is your international trade significantly affected because of this issue?
Does your government use the identified standard?
Is there a need for an international standard?
1 N.A. stands for Not Applicable.
What are your reasons for using / not using the identified international standard?
or
What are your reasons for considering that there is a need for/ no need for an international standard?
Additional comments:G/SPS/W/100
Page 8
Table 7
Disease/problem
Certification requirements for origin of animals
Submission by:
Canada (G/SPS/W/89, 7 September 1998)
Commodities affected:
Meat Products
Identified concern:
Restrictions are imposed on trade of meat products because some countries require that the country of
origin of the animal from which the meat products were derived be identified.  As a general practice,
meat processors import animals, process the meat and export the products to another country.  Some
countries require that imported meat products be derived only from animals raised in the exportingcountry, i.e., no products derived from non-domestic animals may be imported. This requirement is
maintained even when the importing country is also importing meat products directly from the source
country of the animals.   This presents a difficulty for processors in the exporting country who must
segregate shipments in order to meet this requirement.  OIE could be asked to establish criteria and
conditions for determining country of origin requirements.
Identified standard: None.
YES NO N.A.1
Is your international trade significantly affected because of this issue?
Does your government use the identified standard?
Is there a need for an international standard?
1 N.A. stands for Not Applicable.
What are your reasons for using / not using the identified international standard?
or
What are your reasons for considering that there is a need for/ no need for an international standard?
Additional comments:G/SPS/W/100
Page 9
Table 8
Disease/problem:
Certification regarding the absence of certain pathogens in raw meat products (e.g., salmonella)
Submission by:
Canada (G/SPS/W/89, 7 September 1998)
Commodities affected:
Meat Products
Identified concern:
Restrictions are imposed on trade of meat products because certain countries require that the meat be
free of certain pathogens, e.g. salmonella.   Codex could be asked to determine if developing
standards for pathogens in raw meat is feasible or appropriate.
Identified standard: None.
YES NO N.A.1
Is your international trade significantly affected because of this issue?
Does your government use the identified standard?
Is there a need for an international standard?
1 N.A. stands for Not Applicable.
What are your reasons for using / not using the identified international standard?
or
What are your reasons for considering that there is a need for/ no need for an international standard?
Additional comments:G/SPS/W/100
Page 10
Table 9
Disease/problem:
Certification requirements for diseases for which national control measures may not exist
Submission by:
Canada (G/SPS/W/89, 7 September 1998)
Commodities affected:
Meat Products
Identified concern:
Restrictions are imposed on trade of meat products because of the presence of certain animal diseases
which are unlikely to be transmitted through meat.  OIE guidelines should serve as the basis for
animal health certification.  Only diseases of im portance (e.g. OIE list A) should be required to be
listed on export certificates.  OIE could be asked to develop more specific guidelines for the animalhealth certification of meat products, i.e. diseases of concern and appropriate safeguards such as
country freedom, farm-free, farm-free-plus-certain-radius.  Guidelines could also be developed for
countries that want to require more stringent certification, e.g. surveillance program, disease
transmission data from meat products.
Identified standard: OIE establishes standards for safeguards against diseases, e.g. List A and
B.  These guidelines are generally appropriate.
YES NO N.A.1
Is your international trade significantly affected because of this issue?
Does your government use the identified standard?
Is there a need for an international standard?
1 N.A. stands for Not Applicable.
What are your reasons for using / not using the identified international standard?
or
What are your reasons for considering that there is a need for/ no need for an international standard?
Additional comments: