. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/EEC/102
3 November 2000
(00-4650)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  European Commission, General Directorate for Health and Consumer
Protection
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).   Live farm and aquaculture animals; meat and meat products   Regions or
countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  EC member States
and countries in which the substances object of this draft directive are authorised for growth
promotion and/or therapeutic or zootechnical purposes and export live animals, meat and
meat products to the European Communities
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Proposal for a Directive of the
European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 96/22/EC concerning
the prohibition on the use in stockfarming of certain substances having a hormonal orthermostatic action and of beta-agonists.
5. Description of content:   This draft directive prohibits the use of oestradiol 17 β and its
ester like derivatives to include therapeutic and zootechnical use in farm animals as well as
other five hormones (testosterone, progesterone, trembolone acetate, zeranol and
melengestrol acetate) for growth promotion purposes in farm animals, on a provisionalbasis. Member States of the European Communities shall prohibit the import from third
countries of live farm and aquaculture animals, meat and meat products to which it has been
administered 17 β oestradiol and its ester like derivatives, testosterone, progesterone,
trembolone acetate, zeranol and melengestrol acetate, unless those products are
administered for therapeutic purposes or zootechnical purposes in accordance to provisionsspecified in specific articles of this directive.
6. Objective and rationale: [  X ] food safety,  [    ] animal health,  [    ] plant protection,
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [     ] protect territory from
other damage from pests   
7. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [   ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  Codex does not consider necessary to set limits
for oestradiol 17 β in meat and meat products. The European Commission, acting on the
basis of advice from its relevant Scientific Committee (see under box 8 and 12 of this
notification), has concluded that the scientific evidence on 17 β oestradiol is sufficient to
justify a permanent ban, and that the scientific evidence against the other five growth
promoters justifies a provisional ban pending further scientific evaluation.G/SPS/N/EEC/102
Page 2
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  European
Commission Document COM/2000/320 (Available in  all EC languages). Opinions of the
Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures relating to Public Health of 30 April 1999
(XXIV/B3/SC4) and 3 May 2000.
9. Proposed date of adoption:  July 2001
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  July 2001
11. Final date for comments:  15 December 2000
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [     ] National notification
authority, [    ] EC enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:           
12. Texts available from: [    ] National notification authority, [  X ] EC enquiry point or
address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
The opinions of the Scientific Committee on Veterinary measures of 30 April and  3 May
can be downloaded from http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scv/outcome_en.html