. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/AUT/2
26 October 2001
(01-5249)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  AUSTRIA ,  EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water
Management (Austria)
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).  Wood packing material, other than of conifers and Fagus silvatica  and
Quercus   Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or
practicable:  China (except Hong Kong), Korea, Taiwan and the USA
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Regulation of the Federal Minister
for Agriculture, Forestry, the Environment and Water Management laying down measures
to protect against the spread of harmful organisms via wooden packing materials and
measures to protect against the spread of Anoplophora glabripennis  (regulation No. 319 of
31 August 2001 - 3 pages).
5. Description of content:  The regulation lays down additional requirements for imports of
wood packing material originating in China (e xcept Hong Kong), Korea, Taiwan and the
USA in order to prevent the dissemination of the Asian longhorn beetle ( Anoplophora
glabripennis)
6. Objective and rationale:  [     ] food safety,  [     ] animal health,  [  X ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,
[    ] protect territory from other damage from pests           
7. Nature of the urgent problem(s):  Monitoring inspections carried out in Austria have
detected on trees of Acer platanoides  typical symptoms and some large specimen of the
Asian longhorn beetle.  The source of the introduction has not yet been identified but the
introduction with wood packing material cannot be excluded.  It is therefore likely that the
current Community plant health requirements for packing material from countries where the
Asian longhorn beetle occurs was not always met.
8. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [     ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give its appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  An international Standard on non manufactured
wood packing material is currently under discussion at FAO-IPPC level.
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Verordnung 319 of
31 August 2001 (available in German)G/SPS/N/AUT/2
Page 2
10. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):  1 September 2001
11. Texts available from/and 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:
Austria SPS Enquiry Point
Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Angelenheiten
(Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs)Abteilung II/11 (Division II/11)
Stubenring 1.1011 Wien
Tel:  +(43 1) 711 005774
Fax:  +(43 1) 715 96 51/718 05 08
The Austrian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is accessible at:
http://www.lebensministerium.at/en/