. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/MEX/204 
10 December 2003 
 
 (03-6536) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES 
 
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 in international trade  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: Any 
trading partner marketing products with w ood packaging material destined for Mexico.  
5. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Emergency Mexican Official 
Standard NOM-EM-144-SEMARNAT-2003 Estab lishing the Technical Specifications for 
the Phytosanitary Measure (Treatment) and Us e of the Mark Certifying the Application 
Thereof in Relation to Wood Packaging Material in International Trade  (6 pages, in Spanish).  
6. Description of content:  This Emergency Mexican Official Standard establishes the 
technical specifications for the recognized phytosanitary measure (treatment) and use of the 
mark attesting to the application thereof in  relation to wood packaging material. This 
Standard is mandatory throughout Mexican territory. 
 This Emergency Standard is in partial c onformity with the International Standard 
for Phytosanitary Measures " Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material in 
International Trade ", adopted on 15 March 2002 by the Interim Commission on 
Phytosanitary Measures (ICPM) of the Intern ational Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) of 
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).  
7. Objective and rationale:  [    ] food safety,  [    ] animal health,  [  X ] plant protection,
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  X ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests  
8. 
  
 Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reasons for urgent action:  The purpose of this 
Emergency Mexican Official Standard is to reduce the risk of the introduction into and/or spread within Mexico of quaran tine pests associated with wood packaging material in use in 
international trade (made of coniferous and non-coniferous raw wood) and to subject such 
material to phytosanitary control by way of the application of a globally recognized mark. There is an urgent need to establish phytosanitary  measures in order to eliminate the risk of 
the introduction of most quarantine pests and significantly
 reduce the risk of that of other 
pests that may be associated with such packaging material.  G/SPS/N/MEX/204 
Page 2  
 
 8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reasons for urgent action (cont'd):  The grounds 
for issuing this Emergency Standard are interceptions at a number of entry points for imported goods and merchandise of non-native quarantine pests in w ood packaging material and the 
fact that the introduction, survival and spr ead of such pests could cause economic and 
ecological harm to national territory.  
9. International standard, guideline or recommendation: 
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [   ] Office International des Epizooties, [ X ] International Plant Protection Convention, [   ] None 
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:  
10. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Diario Oficial de la 
Federación  (Official Journal) of 26 November 2003  (available in Spanish).  
11. Date of entry into force/period of  application (as applicable):  Day after publication in 
the Official Journal / six months from the date following publication. 
12. 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). 
Enquiry point: 
E-mail:  cidgn@economia.gob.mx  General Directorate of Standards: Tel.:  (52+55) 5729-9300, Ext. 4156  
Fax:  (52+55) 5520-9715