. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/MEX/193
11 April 2003
(03-1999)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  Spanish
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  MEXICO
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries
and Food (SAGARPA)
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).  Imported beans for consumption
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
Argentina, Canada, Chile, Nicaragua and the United States of America
5. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Emergency Mexican Official
Standard NOM-EM-041-FITO-2003, Establishing the Phytosanitary Requirements and
Specifications for Imported Beans for C onsumption  (6 pages, in Spanish).
6. Description of content:  This Emergency Mexican Official Standard establishes the
phytosanitary requirements and specifications for beans for consumption imported into
Mexico from Argentina, Canada, Chile, Nicaragua and the United States of America with a
view to preventing the introduction of quarantine pests into national territory.  This Standard
applies to beans for consumption and to the ma ritime and air transport means and packing and
packaging material thereof.  Given the nature of some of its requirements, the Government of
Mexico has decided to notify this Emergency Standard concurrently to the Committee on
Technical Barriers to Trade.
7. Objective and rationale:  [  X ] food safety,  [     ] animal health,  [  X ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  X ] protect territory from
other damage from pests
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reasons for urgent action:  The purpose of this
Emergency Mexican Official Standard is to prevent the introduction of plant pests intoMexico and to subject the import and export of  plants, plant products and by-products and the
causal agents of phytosanitary problems to phytosanitary controls, given the risk of the
introduction, establishment and spread of su ch pests arising from the growth in the
international marketing of grains and extensive mo vement of freight transport, in particular by
sea. Furthermore, the recent upturn in imports of beans from various countries increases the
likelihood of pests being introduced and of products failing to meet phytosanitary quality
standards.G/SPS/N/MEX/193
Page 2
9. International standard, guideline or recommendation:
[    ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [    ] Office International des Epizooties, [    ]
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:  Diario Oficial de la
Federación  (Official Journal) of 4 April 2003  (available in Spanish).
11. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):  This Emergency Mexican
Official Standard will enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official
Journal. It will be valid for six months as of this date and may be extended once only for a
further six-month period.
12. 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:
13. Texts available from:  [  X ] National notification authority, [     ] National enquiry point
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
Web site:   www.economia.gob.mx/?P=85  (Standards catalogue)
E-mail: cidgn@economia.gob.mx
Directorate-General of Standards:
Tel.:  (52+55) 5729-9300, Ext. 4156
Fax:  (52+55) 5520-9715