. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/166
25 June 1999
(99-2631)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  UNITED STATES
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
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). Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or
practicable:  Imported eggs, products containing eggs, and game meats from Belgium,
France and the Netherlands, and all animal products including animal derived medicated
and non-medicated feeds, feed ingredients, and pet foods from all European countries.
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document: "All Eggs and Egg-containing
Products from Belgium, France and the Netherlands and Animal Feed from European
Countries to be Detained at Ports of Entry" (7 pages)
5. Description of content:  FDA is detaining all imports of eggs, products containing eggs,
and game meats (FDA regulated) from Belgium, France and the Netherlands, and all animal
products including animal derived medicated and non-medicated feeds, feed ingredients,
and pet foods from all European countries at US ports of entry.  At this time, in order forproducts to be released from detention, importers must provide laboratory test results
showing PCB’s are not detectable and/or that di oxins do not exceed 1 part per trillion (ppt).
A government or industry certificate of compliance alone, without laboratory analysis, will
not be accepted as evidence for allowing entry of detained product.
6. Objective and rationale:  [  X ] food safety,  [     ] animal health,  [     ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,
[    ] protect territory from other damage from pests           
7. Nature of the urgent problem(s): FDA has received information that animal fat from a
rendering  company in Belgium was contaminated with dioxins and/or PCB compounds inJanuary of 1999.  This product was shipped to animal feed manufacturers and incorporated
into animal feed.  Contaminated feed was fe d to chickens, which resulted in contaminated
eggs, and may have been fed to other domestic animals.  Dioxins and PCBs persist in the
environment. Any animals fed contaminated product and subsequently slaughtered may
have levels of dioxins/PCBs remaining in slaughter by-products. These may be rendered
and subsequently used in other animal feeds, allowing the dioxins/PCBs to continue to be
recycled through the food chain.
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:           G/SPS/N/USA/166
Page 2
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  FDA Talk Paper
dated 11 June 1999 and FDA Import Alert #99-24 (available in English)
10. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):  11 June 1999.  This action
will remain in place until competent authorities in affected countries provide information to
demonstrate that risks in potentially contaminated products from this incident, which are
exported to the United States, present reasonable certainty of no harm.
11. Texts available from/and agency or authority designated to handle comments:
[   ] National notification authority, [    ] National enquiry point or address, fax number
and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
Texts available from:
United States SPS Enquiry Point:
USDA/FAS/FSTSD
Attn:  Carolyn F. Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture BuildingStop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Tel:   (202) 720-2239
Fax:  (202) 690-0677
E-mail:  ofsts@fas.usda.gov
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:
US Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Attn:  Mr. Charles W. Cooper
Director, International Activities Staff
HFS-585200 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20204
Tel:  (202) 205 5042 or (301) 443 6553
Fax:  (202) 401 7739