. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/594
24 May 2002
(02-2881)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:   Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service - APHIS
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where
applicable):   Cooked meat and meat products.
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
Regions that export meat to the United States.
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   Importation of Cooked
Meat and Meat Products (4 pages, available in English)
6. Description of content:   The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is
proposing to amend the regulations governing the importation of certain animals, meat, and
other animal products to allow meat cooked in plastic in processing establishments located
in regions where rinderpest or foot-and-mouth disease exists to be further processed after
cooking and before importation.  Additionally, we are proposing to allow the pink juice testto be used in determining whether ground meat cooked in such establishments has been
adequately cooked.  These proposed amendments would provide foreign meat processing
establishments with additional processing options while continuing to protect against the
introduction of rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease into the United States.
7. Objective and rationale:  [    ] food safety, [ X ] animal health, [   ] plant protection,
[  ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or di sease,  [   ]  protect territory from other
damage from pests
8. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [ X ] Office International des Epizooties,
[   ] International Plant Prot ection Convention, [   ] None
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:
9. Relevant documents and language(s ) in which these are available:   67 FR 35936,
22 May 2002 (Available in English)
10. Proposed date of adoption:   To be determined
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determinedG/SPS/N/USA/594
Page 2
12. Final date for comments:   APHIS will consider all comments we receive that are
postmarked, delivered, or e-mailed by 22 July 2002.
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service [   ] National notification authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or address, fax
number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:   Detailed instruction on where
and how to send comments is in the body of the full text - which will be sent upon request
to the address in paragraph 13.
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notification authority, [ X ]  National enquiry
point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
United States SPS Enquiry Point/Notification Authority
USDA/FAS/FSTSD
ATTN:  Carolyn F. Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture Building
Stop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.Washington, D.C. 20250
Tel:   (202) 720-2239
Fax:  (202) 690-0677
E-mail:  fstsd@fas.usda.gov