. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/NLD/62 
28 September 2004 
 (04-4072) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   THE NETHERLANDS
 
If applicable, name of local government involved: 
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (Ministerie van 
Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit.  Products chap Vee en Vlees.  Postbus 460.  2700 AL 
Zoetermeer.  The Netherlands) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable):  Live ovine animals (rams) for breeding.  (CM 010410) 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  All 
countries  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   Draft Regulation on the 
breeding of TSE-insensitive sheep (PVV) 2004 
6. Description of content:  The present regulation proposal requires sheep farmers only to 
breed using rams which have been certified as TSE-insensi tive (ARR/ARR) via a blood or a 
pedigree analysis. 
Specific derogations exist for breeding rams of a rare local sheep breed or of a recognised 
high value pedigree showing a low gene freq uency for TSE-insensitivity.  In these 
circumstances the requirements have been adap ted to prevent this population from shrinking 
considerably.  In these cases breeding must co mply with a specified selection programme to 
be further approved by the commodity board.  This exception will only apply for mating 
within the specified local breed or the sp ecified high value pedigree record population 
pending recognition by the Commodity Board. 
Breeding herds covered by Commi ssion Regulation (EC) No. 445/2002 shall comply with 
this requirement. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X  ] food safety, [ X ] animal health, [   ] plant protection, 
[ X ] protect humans from anima l/plant pest or disease,  [   ]  protect territory from 
other damage from pests 
8. International standard, guideline or recommendation:  
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] 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/NLD/62 
Page 2  
 
 9. Relevant documents and language(s ) in which these are available:   
Commission Regulation (EC) No. 445/2002 of 26 February 2002 laying down detailed rules 
for the application of Council Regula tion (EC) No. 1257/1999 on support for rural 
development from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) 
Official Journal L74, 15/03/2002 pp 1-34 
Commission Decision 2003/100/EC of 13 February 2003 laying down minimum 
requirements for the establishmen t of breeding programmes for resistance to transmissible 
spongiform encephalopathies in sheep  Official Journal L 041, 14/02/2003 pp 41-45  
Further background documents 
Article 15 (and Annex IX) of Regulation (EC)  No. 999/2001 of the European Parliament and 
of the Council of 22 May 2001 laying down rule s for the prevention, control and eradication 
of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies  Official Journal L 147, 31/05/2001 pp 
1-40.  
Draft of Article 8 of the Regulation on additiona l regulations concerning infectious diseases. 
Large Grazing Animals Guideline by the Minist er for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality 
(Parliamentary Documents II 1999/2000, 26 800 No. 85). 
10. Proposed date of adoption:   9 September 2004 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   Around the end of September 
12. Final date for comments:  Being a national application of Community law, it is not 
applicable. 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification 
authority, [ X ] 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: 
Ministry of Finance Tax and Customs Administ ration.  Central Licensing Office for Import 
and Export.  Section EC/WTO Notifications .  9700 RD Groningen.  The Netherlands. 
Tel:  +31/050 523 2133/2134/2135 Telefax:  +31/050 523 2159 E-mail/Internet:  enquiry.point@tiscali-business.nl
 and enquiry.point2@tiscali-business.nl