. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/636
29 August 2002
(02-4619)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:   Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service – APHIS
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):   Bees and Related Articles
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
Trading partners
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Bees and Related
Articles;  Notice of Public Hearings;  Proposed Rule (25 pages)
6. Description of content:   The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to
amend the regulations for the importation of honeybees and honeybee semen and the
regulations established to prevent the introduction of exotic bee diseases and parasites
through the importation of bees other than honeybees, certain beekeeping byproducts, and
used beekeeping equipment.  Among other things, our proposal would allow honeybeesfrom Australia and honeybees and honeybee germ plasm from New Zealand to be imported
into the United States under certain conditions, impose certain conditions on the
importation into the United States of bees and related articles from Canada, and prohibit
the interstate movement of honeybees into Hawaii.  It also would consolidate all of our
regulations concerning bees.  These changes would make these regulations more consistentwith international standards, update them to reflect current research and terminology, and
simplify them and make them more useful.
7. Objective and rationale:  [    ] food safety, [ X ] animal health, [   ] plant protection,
[  ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or di sease,  [   ]  protect territory from other
damage from pests
8. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:   
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [ X ] Office International des Epizooties,
[   ] International Plant Prot ection Convention, [   ] None
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:
9. Relevant documents and language(s ) in which these are available:   67 FR 53843,
19 August 2002;  available in English.
10. Proposed date of adoption:   To be determined.G/SPS/N/USA/636
Page 2
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   To be determined.
12. Final date for comments:   APHIS will consider all comments that we receive on or before
18 November 2002.
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:    Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Detailed instructions on where and how to send comments are in the body of the full text –
which will be sent upon request to the address in paragraph 13.
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notification authority,  [ X ]  National enquiry
point,  or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
United States SPS Enquiry Point/Notification Authority
USDA/FAS/FSTSD
ATTN: Carolyn F. Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture BuildingStop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Phone (202) 720-2239
Fax (202) 690-0677
E-mail Address: fstsd@fas.usda.gov