. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/MEX/200
3 September 2003
(03-4600)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  Spanish
NOTIFICATION
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 should be provided in addition, where
applicable):  Domestic and wild fowl
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  Any
trading partner supplying either domestic and wildfowl for intensive poultry farming, orbackyard poultry, fighting birds, songbirds, ornamental birds, wildfowl in captivity,
ostriches, and so forth.
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Draft amendment to
Mexican Official Standard NOM-044-ZOO-1995, entitled "National Campaign Against
Avian Influenza" (64 pages, in Spanish)
6. Description of content:  Following the recent spread of the avian influenza (AI) virus at the
global level, as well as the low-pathogen A/H5N2 strain in Mexico, the disease has spread
towards some recognized AI-free areas of Mexico, putting national poultry farming at risk
and, on the basis of up-to-date technical information concerning, inter alia , diagnosis, virus
transmission, vaccination and biosecurity, the provisions of Mexican Official Standard
NOM-044-ZOO-1995, entitled "National Campaign Against Avian Influenza", need to be
amended and updated, in order to harmonize procedures, activities, criteria, strategies and
operational techniques for the diagnosis, prevention, control and eradication of the AI virus
in national poultry farming, and to continue to apply animal health measures in control,
eradication and disease-free areas.  Therefore this draft amendment is being published.
7. Objective and rationale: [     ] food safety,  [  X ] animal health,  [     ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  X ] protect territory from
other damage from pests           
8. 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:           G/SPS/N/MEX/200
Page 2
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Official Journal
(Diario Oficial de la Federación ) of 26 August 2003 ( in Spanish).
10. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined.
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  The day following its publication as a Mexican
Official Standard in the Official Journal.
12. Final date for comments:  25 October 2003
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: www.economia.gob.mx/?P=85 (Standards Catalogue)
 E-mail: cidgn@economia.gob.mx