WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/MEX/187
18 June 2002
(02-3387)
Committee on Sanitary and 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 Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries
and Food
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):  Commercial birds, backyard poultry, wildfowl, songbirds and ornamental
cage birds, fighting birds, ostriches and birds used in social programmes, and poultry
products, by-products and instruments, which present a risk of transmitting Avian Influenza.
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  All
countries that trade with Mexico in comm ercial birds, backyard poultry, wildfowl,
songbirds, ornamental cage birds, fighting birds and ostriches and birds used in social
programmes, and poultry products, by-products and instruments, which present a risk of
transmitting Avian Influenza.
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Mexican Official
Emergency Standard NOM-EM-016-ZOO-2002, enti tled National Campaign Against Avian
Influenza (21 pages)
6. Description of content:  This Standard is mandatory throughout national territory and is
designed to standardize the procedures, activities, criteria, strategies and operative
techniques used in the prevention, control and eradication of Avian Influenza throughout
national territory, including among commercial birds, backyard poultry, wildfowl,
songbirds, ornamental cage birds, fighting birds, ostriches and birds used in social
programmes.
7. Objective and rationale: [     ] food safety,  [     ] animal health,  [     ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [     ] protect territory from
other damage from pests           
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reasons for urgent action:   Under the Organic Law
of the Federal Public Administration, the  Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural
Development, Fisheries and Food is responsible, inter alia , for the organization and
administration of livestock protection and animal health monitoring services, as well as for
the prevention, control and eradication of pests and diseases that affect national livestock
and poultry farming, including all Avian Influenza (AI) serotypes.G/SPS/N/MEX/187
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8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reasons for urgent action:   (cont'd)
The AI virus is divided according to it s pathogenicity and virulence into low-
pathogenic and high-pathogenic strains, potentially posing a serious health and marketing
problem at national and international levels.
Highly-Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a contagious and fatal viral disease
that affects domestic and wild fowl, causing a high level of morbidity and mortality among
such birds.
The low-pathogenic strain of the AI virus classified as A/H5N2 has been isolated in
Mexico since 23 May 1994.
It has been demonstrated that the low-pathogenic strains of the AI virus, including
the H5 and H7 subtypes, can undergo mutations and become highly pathogenic, and could
potentially kill all birds on infected farms.
For the purposes of protecting national poultry farming against Highly-Pathogenic
Avian Influenza,  it is necessary to establish tight control over the Low-Pathogenic Avian
Influenza virus (LPAI), in order to prevent its introduction into disease-free areas and to
control and eradicate it in enzootic areas with viral isolation or serological evidence, and to
establish a system of close epidemiological surveillance that would allow the timelydetection of any mutations of the virus into a highly pathogenic strain.
Since June 1995, Mexico has been free of Highly-Pathogenic Avian Influenza  and
has an active and a passive epidemiological surveillance programme, applying to both
intensive poultry farming and, inter alia , backyard poultry, fighting birds, songbirds,
ornamental birds, wildfowl in captivity and ostriches.
In view of the fact that the disease has spread towards some recognized disease-free
areas in which vaccination is not practised, there is a high risk that infection will occur in
such areas.
In order to prevent, control and eradicate LPAI in areas where it is still endemic, it
is necessary to make vaccination against this disease compulsory, both in areas wherecontrol and eradication is mandatory and in disease-free areas  where it is voluntary.
In order to achieve the goals that have been set, which are unquestionably of social
and public interest, it is necessary to launch a mandatory campaign to prevent, control and
eradicate Avian Influenza among birds, seeking the support and cooperation of all sectors in
the country that are closely linked to national poultry farming, as well as the public at large.
9. International standard, guideline or recommendation:
[    ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [    ] Office International des Epizooties,[    ] 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:  Official Journal
(Diario Oficial de la Federación ) of 24 May 2002 (in Spanish).G/SPS/N/MEX/187
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11. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):  This Standard will enter
into force the day following its publication in the Official Journal and will remain in force
for a period of six months from the day following its publication.
12. Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [     ] National notification
authority, [     ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:           
13. Texts available from: [     ] National notification authority, [     ] National enquiry point
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:  Web site:
www.economica-normas.gob.mx (Standards Catalogue).
Dirección General de Normas (Directorate General of Standards) (52+55) 5729 93 00
Ext. 4156 Fax:  57 29 94 84