. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/NZL/78
5 February 2001
(01-0552)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  NEW ZEALAND
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where
applicable).  Deer/elk velvet  Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent
relevant or practicable:  Canada
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Import health standard for the
importation of deer/elk velvet into New Z ealand from specified countries, 31 January 2001
(Available in English) (3 pages)
5. Description of content:  The import health standard sets out the conditions for the
importation of deer/elk velvet from specified countries (New Caledonia,  Norway, Sweden and
the United Kingdom).  The original import health standard was issued on 4 November 1998
and has now been revoked.  The new import health standard has the same conditions exceptfor clause 8 which has been altered by removing Canada as a specified country of origin.
6. Objective and rationale:  [    ] food safety,  [  X ] animal health,  [     ] plant protection,
[ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [     ] protect territory from
other damage from pests           
7. Nature of the urgent problem(s): Deer velvet imports from Canada have been suspended
by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry after new surveillance showed that Chronic
Wasting Disease (CWD) may be more widespread in Canada's farmed elk industry than
previously thought.  CWD is a transmissible sp ongiform encephalopathy. It is related to, but
distinct from BSE and the sheep disease scrapie. It affects wild and farmed deer and elk inCanada and the United States. It has never been detected outside of North America.
Canadian authorities embarked on a disease surveillance programme last year after CWD
was discovered there, and detected CWD in 17 herds, with a total of 35 infected animals.
Information from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has been received by New
Zealand regarding the increased prevalence of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in the
Canadian farmed elk industry.  New Zeala nd has previously allowed the importation from
Canada of deer/elk velvet on the grounds that the distribution of the disease appeared to be
contained and measures were in place to preven t the movement and/or sale of any animal or
product from potentially affected farms.  Due to the information received, the importation of
deer/elk velvet from Canada has been suspended until issues such as distribution of infectivity
and risk to humans can be adequately clarified.G/SPS/N/NZL/78
Page 2
8. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [  X ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give its appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:           
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  None
10. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):  1 February 2001
11. Texts available from/and agency or authority designated to handle comments:
[ X ] National notification authority, [     ] National enquiry point or address, fax
number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
Text:  Keawe Woodmore, Coordinator, New Zealand SPS Notification Authority, PO Box
2526, Wellington, New Zealand, Tel: +64 4 474 4226, Fax: +64 4 470 2730, E-mail:
sps@maf.govt.nz
Comments: Barbara Christensen, National Ad viser, International Trade, Biosecurity
Authority, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, PO Box 2526, Wellington, New Zealand.
Tel:  +64 4 498 9807; Fax:  +64 4 474 4133;  E-mail: christensenb@maf.govt.nz