. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/MEX/207 
4 October 2004 
 (04-4138) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures  Original:  Spanish 
   
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   MEXICO
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) 
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 packaging material 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  All 
natural and legal persons using wood packaging material in th e international marketing of 
goods and services. 
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Draft Mexican Official 
Standard PROY-NOM-144-SEMARNAT-2004, Establishing the Internationally 
Recognized Phytosanitary Measures for Wood P ackaging Material Used in International 
Trade in Goods (14 pages (11-page draf t and three-page Annex), in Spanish). 
6. Description of content:   The purpose of this draft Mexican Official Standard, which will 
be mandatory throughout Mexican territory , is to establish phytosanitary measures for 
wood packaging material in use in internationa l trade in goods, the technical specifications 
thereof, and the use of the globally recognized mark attesting to the application of such 
measures. It also lays down the requirements governing the use of this mark on wood packaging material used for the exportation of goods and establishes guidelines to facilitate 
the inspection at entry points into the count ry of wood packaging material used for the 
importation of goods with a view to reduc ing the risk of pest introduction. 
 
 The final version of the Mexican Official  Standard the draft of which is notified 
hereby will, upon its entry into force, re place Emergency Mexican Official Standard 
NOM-EM-144-SEMARNAT-2003 "Establishing the Technical Specifications for the Phytosanitary Measure (Treatment) and Use of the Mark Accrediting the Application 
Thereof in Relation to Wood Packaging Material  in International Trade", published in the 
Diario Oficial de la Federación  (Official Journal) of 26 N ovember 2003 and circulated to 
Members of the WTO Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures as a notification 
in document G/SPS/N/MEX/204 of 10 December  2003 (and which remains in force until 
26 January 2005). 
7. Objective and rationale:  [    ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [ X ] plant protection, 
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ X ] protec t territory from other 
damage from pests  G/SPS/N/MEX/207 
Page 2  
 
8. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:  
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE),  [ X ] International Plant Protection 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:    
(a) Diario Oficial de la Federación  (Official Journal) of 24  September 2004 (available 
in Spanish);  
(b) Official Journal of 27 July 2004 (available in Spanish);  
(c) Official Journal of 26 Novemb er 2003 (available in Spanish); 
(d) Notifications G/SPS/N/MEX/ 204 and G/SPS/N/MEX/204.Add1-URG of 
10 December 2003 and 10 June 2004, respectively. 
10. Proposed date of adoption:   To be determined 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   The day following publication of the final version of 
this Mexican Official Standard in the Offici al Journal, with the exception of Article 5 
thereof, which will enter into force on 1 July 2005. 
12. Final date for comments:   23 November 2004 
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:  ci dgn@economia.gob.mx