. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/170
14 July 1999
(99-2916)
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
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).
Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
Avocado
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Mexican Hass Avocado Program
(4 pages)
5. Description of content:  The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is
proposing to amend the regulations governing the importation of Hass avocados from
Mexico to require handlers and distributors to enter into compliance agreements withAPHIS.  APHIS would also amend the stickering requirement for the avocados and add
requirements regarding the repackaging of the avocados after their entry into the United
States.  These proposed amendments are necessary to ensure that distributors and handlers
are familiar with the distribution restrictions and other requirements of the regulations and to
strengthen the effectiveness of the marking re quirements used to identify the avocados and
allow them to be tracked back to their grove of origin.  These proposed amendments wouldserve to reinforce the existing safeguards of the avocado import programme
6. Objective and rationale:  [    ] food safety  [   ] animal health [ X ] 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:   APHIS is taking this action in accordance with
Article 6, paragraph 1 of the Interna tional Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  64 FR 34141,
25 June 1999;  7 CFR Part 319 (Available in English)
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined.
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  The date of adoption and entry into force will be
announced when the final rule is published in the Federal Register.G/SPS/N/USA/170
Page 2
11. Final date for comments:   24 August 1999
Agency or authority designated to handle comme nts:  [  ] National notification authority,
[  ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of
other body:   Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA
Detailed instruction on where and how to send commen ts is in the body of the full text – which
will be sent upon request to the address in paragraph 12.
12. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notification authority,  [ X ]  National enquiry point,
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
US SPS Enquiry Point/Notification Authority:
USDA/FAS/FSTD
Attn:  Carolyn F. Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture BuildingStop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Tel:  (202) 720 2239
Fax::  (202) 690 0677E-mail address:  ofsts@fas.usda.gov