RESRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/W/109
26 June 2001
(01-3192)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
PROCEDURE TO MONITOR THE PROCESS
OF INTERNATIONAL HARMONIZATION
Draft Third Annual Report
A. INTRODUCTION
1. At its meeting of 15-16 October 1997, the SPS Committee adopted a provisional procedure to
monitor the process of international harmonization and the use of international standards, guidelines
or recommendations, as provided for in Articles 3.5 and 12.4 of the SPS Agreement.1  At its
7-8 July 1999 meeting, the Committee decided to extend the provisional monitoring procedure for atleast another two years, to review the operation of the provisional procedure by July 2001, and to
determine at that time whether to continue with the provisional procedure, amend it, or develop
another one.
2
B. ISSUES
2. At its meeting of 7-8 July 1999, the Committee adopted the First Annual Report.3  T h e
Second Annual Report4 was approved ad referendum after the 21-22 June 2000 meeting.  These
reports summarized several standards-related issues that the Committee had considered and the
responses received from the relevant standard-setting organizations.
3. Since the First Annual Report was adopted, no new issues have been raised by Members.
C. RESPONSES RECEIVED FROM THE RELEVANT STANDARD -SETTING ORGANIZATIONS
4. At the November 2000 and March 2001 Committee meetings and in submissions all three
standard-setting organizations provided updated information to the SPS Committee regarding theirwork on the identified standard-related issues.  Th e information provided on the relevant issues since
the circulation of the Second Annual Report is summarized below.
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Requirement for control of Infectious Bursal Virus (IBDV) in cooked chicken meat – Response
from the OIE
5. The Bureau of the Code Commission noted that Chapter 3.6.1. of the International Animal Health
Code  (the Code ) provided recommendations on international trade in domestic birds, day-old chicks
                                                     
1 G/SPS/11.
2 G/SPS/14.
3 G/SPS/13.
4 G/SPS/16.
5 Codex responses are reported in G/SPS/R/17, para. 42, G/SPS/R/18, para. 58 and G/SPS/R/20,
para. 70; IPPC responses are reported in G/SPS/R/17, para. 43, G/SPS/GEN/146 and G/SPS/GEN/183; and OIE
responses are reported in G/SPS/R/17, para. 44, G/ SPS/R/18, para. 51, G/SPS/R/20 para. 71, G/SPS/R/21
paras. 72-74, G/SPS/GEN/145 and Add.1, 2 and 3.G/SPS/W/109
Page 2
and hatching eggs from domestic birds, but remained silent on the subject of products derived from
birds, and in particular on chicken meat.  To decide whether it would be appropriate to include
provisions on chicken meat in the aforementioned Chapter, the Bureau asked an ad hoc group of
experts for information inter alia  on the probability of finding the causal virus in fresh meat obtained
from chickens that were healthy at the time of slaugh ter, as well as the effect of refrigeration and
freezing on the survival of the virus in chicken meat .  It also asked the group to identify key areas
where further research is required.
6. When it met at the end of January 2001, the Code Commission took note of the report of the ad
hoc group, and requested the Director General of the OIE to inform the WTO SPS Committee of the
replies given by the experts to its questions (G/SPS/GEN/145/Add.3, Annex 1) and the areas in which
they considered that additional research was required ( idem , Annex 2).  The replies confirmed that the
IBD virus is highly resistant to heating and freezing, that there is a wide variety of strains withvarying degrees of virulence, that there are several forms of the disease (ranging from immuno-
suppression to high mortality) and that there are different vaccination strategies. It was evident that
there remain significant gaps in the scientif ic information necessary to develop specific
recommendations for trade in chicken meat.
7. As the experts also prepared a new draft chapter on infectious bursal disease during their
meeting, the Code Commission decided to submit it for comment to the delegates of OIE member
countries.  The new draft chapter includes an article on the requirements for international trade in
fresh poultry meat.  This draft will be reviewed further during the coming year, before being
presented to the International Committee for adoption, taking into account the observations and
requests for amendments received in the meantime from member countries.  Furthermore, as it is notthe role of the OIE to conduct research itself, it is hoped that countries will provide the necessary
support for the research to be carried out.
Definition of "quarantine pest"
6 – Response from the IPPC
8. Work on a definition for the term "official control", undertaken as a result of the
recommendation of the SPS Committee, resulted in a draft definition and guidelines for theinterpretation and application of the concept.  These were approved by the IPPC’s Interim Standards
Committee in May 2000 and were subsequently distributed to governments for consultation.  The
document was then reviewed by the Interim Standa rds Committee in light of the comments received
from governments and was submitted to the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (ICPM).
The ICPM adopted the definition and guidelines at its third Session in April 2001.
Chlortetracycline (CTC) residues in pork and pork products  – Response from Codex
9. The only final level established to date for the Chlorotetracycline/
Oxytetracycline/Tetracycline group is the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) of 100 micrograms/kg for
Oxytetracycline in giant prawns, which was adopted by the Commission in 1997.  All other MRLs for
this group are currently at Step 7 and will be considered at the forthcoming 13
th Session of the
Committee on Veterinary Drug Residues in Foods in South Carolina, USA, from 4-7 December 2001.
Frequency of controls to be carried out on bulls  in collection centres (brucellosis, tuberculosis,
leukosis, IBR)  – Response from the OIE
10. The health controls to be carried out on bulls at artificial insemination centres are described
both in the International Animal Health Code  chapters dealing with diseases transmissible by semen
                                                     
6 This definition contains the term "officially controlled", which was a source of concern for some
Members.G/SPS/W/109
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and in the appendices relating to artificial insemination in bovines.  The Bureau of the Code
Commission took note of the conclusions of two meet ings of international specialists on reproduction,
which enabled the development of revised draft appendices relating to bulls and artificial insemination
centres and the hygienic collection and processing of bovine semen.  These draft appendices were
submitted to the OIE member countries for comment.  The meeting of the International AnimalHealth Code Commission in January 2001 examined the draft appendices, and decided to combine
them into a single annex.  The Commission clarified the sanitary conditions to be met by bulls before
entry into artificial insemination centres and the general organization of these centres into different
sectors.  The new draft Annex was submitted to and adopted by the OIE International Committee in
May 2001.  The Code Commission stressed that further harmonization work will be needed to ensure
consistency between the provisions of the Annex and those of articles relating to bovine semen in the
chapters of the International Animal Health Code  that deal with animal diseases.
Benzoic acid as a preservative in sauces  – Response from Codex
11. Safe levels for benzoic acid are under consideration in the Codex Committee on Food
Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC).  The Marc h 2000 Beijing meeting of the CCFAC produced a
draft standard of 1,000 mg/kg for benzoic acid approved for use in sauces and like products.  The
revised draft of the general standard for food additives was circulated in November 1999 andgovernments were asked to comment before the March 2000 meeting.  The March 2001 Session of the
CCFAC forwarded several proposed draft maximum levels for the Benzoate group to the July 2001
Commission for preliminary adoption at Step 5.  Other draft maximum levels for the benzoate group,
including a draft level of 1000 mg/kg for benzoates in sauces and like products, are at Step 6 for
comments.
Certification requirements for origin of animals  – Response from the OIE
12. The International Animal Health Code Commi ssion intends to make use of the scientific
articles on traceability of animals and products of animal origin that are due to be published in issue
No. 2 of Volume 20 of the OIE Scientific and Technical Review  in August 2001 to consider the
subject in greater depth.
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