. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/846 
23 January 2004 
 (04-0228) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved: 
2. Agency responsible:   US Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service 
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):  Beef cattle intended for slau ghter and use as human food 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  All 
trading partners 
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   Prohibition of the Use of 
Certain Stunning Devices Used to Immobili ze Cattle During Slaughter (Docket No. 01-
033IF) (Available in English, 36 pages) 
6. Description of content:  The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending the 
Federal meat inspection regulations to prohib it the use of penetrative captive bolt stunning 
devices that deliberately inject air into the cranial cavity of cat tle.  This rulemaking responds 
to the findings of a risk assessment on bovi ne spongiform encephal opathy (BSE) conducted 
by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis and is  part of a series of actions that the US 
Department of Agriculture is taking to strengt hen its BSE prevention pr ograms.   FSIS is 
taking this action to address the potential ri sk posed by stunning devices that may force 
visible pieces of brain, known as  macro-emboli, into the circulat ory system of stunned cattle.  
Exporting countries will be required to adopt th is or an equivalent measure when producing 
beef products in establishments certif ied for export to the United States. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [   ] 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, [ X ] World Organization for Animal Health, 
[   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [   ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:  OIE/TAHC Chapter 2.3.13 
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Accessible for 
comment at:  http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/01-033IF.htm  
10. Proposed date of adoption:   12 January 2004 G/SPS/N/USA/846 
Page 2  
 
 11. Proposed date of entry into force:   12 January 2004 
12. Final date for comments:  12 April 2004 
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:   Address comments to:  FSIS Docket Clerk, Docket 03-025IF, 
Room 102 Cotton Annex, 300 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-3700, United 
States 
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notification authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail add ress (if available) of other body:  Ms. Julie 
Morin, US Department of Agriculture, Stop 1027, Washington, DC  20250.  Tel:  (202) 720-4051, Fax:  (202) 690-0677, E-mail:  julie.morin@fas.usda.gov