WORLD TRADE WT/DS48/5
17September 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-3680)
Original: English
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES -MEASURES AFFECTING
LIVESTOCK AND MEAT (HORMONES)
Request fortheEstablishment ofaPanel byCanada
Thefollowing communication, dated andreceived on16September 1996, fromthePermanent
Mission ofCanada totheChairman oftheDispute Settlement Body, iscirculated attherequest ofthat
delegation.
_______________
On28June1996, theGovernment ofCanada requested consultations withtheEuropean
CommunitiesregardingcertainEuropeanCommunitiesmeasuresprohibitingtheimportationoflivestock
andmeatfromlivestock thathavebeentreated withcertain substances having ahormonal action. In
accordance withArticle 4oftheUnderstanding onRules andProcedures Governing theSettlement
ofDisputes ("DSU") thatrequest wasnotified totheDispute Settlement Body ("DSB"), theCouncil
forTradeinGoods,theCommitteeonSanitaryandPhytosanitaryMeasures,theCommitteeonTechnical
Barriers toTrade, theCommittee onMarket Access andtheCommittee onAgriculture. Therequest
wascirculated toMembers oftheWorld Trade Organization on8July1996 (WT/DS48/1).
TheEuropean Communities measures prohibiting theimportation oflivestock andmeatfrom
livestock thathavebeentreated withcertain substances having ahormonal action ("EC measures")
include thefollowing: Council Directive 88/146/EEC; thedirectives referenced inthatdirective
(72/462/EEC, 81/602/EEC, 81/851/EEC, 81/852/EEC, and85/358/EEC); thedecisions referred to
inArticle 6(2)ofdirective 88/146/EEC; thecontrol programme referred toinArticle 6(7)ofdirective
88/146 EEC; thederogations referred toinArticle 7ofdirective 88/146/EEC; andanyamendments
ormodifications, including Council Directives 96/22/EC and96/23/EC. These measures adversely
affect theimportation oflivestock andmeat from livestock. TheGovernment ofCanada requested
consultations withaviewtoregaining thefullbenefit oftheconditions ofcompetition thathavebeen
nullified orimpaired bythese measures.
Canada andtheEuropean Communities heldtheconsultations inGeneva on25July1996with
aview toreaching asatisfactory resolution ofthematter. Unfortunalely theconsultations failed to
settle thedispute andthere arenoindications tosuggest thatfurther consultations arelikely tobe
productive.
Pursuant toArticle XXIII oftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994, Article 11
oftheAgreementontheApplicationofSanitaryandPhytosanitaryMeasures,Article14oftheAgreement
onTechnical Barriers toTrade, Article 19oftheAgreement onAgriculture andArticles 4and6of
theDSU, Canada hereby requests thataPanel beestablished atthenextmeeting oftheDSBscheduled
for27September 1996.
./.WT/DS48/5
Page2
Canada requests thatthePanel consider andfindthat:
(a) theECmeasures areinconsistent with:
(i) theAgreement ontheApplication ofSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures,
andinparticular Articles 2,3and5thereof;
(ii) theGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994, andinparticular Articles III
orXIthereof;
(iii) theAgreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade, andinparticular Articles 2
and5thereof;
(iv) theAgreement onAgriculture, andinparticular Article 4thereof; and
(b) theapplication oftheECmeasures otherwise nullifies orimpairs thebenefits accruing
toCanada pursuant totheAgreement Establishing theWorld Trade Organization.
Canada requests thatthePanel beestablished withthestandard terms ofreference assetout
inArticle 7oftheDSU. Canada further requests thatthisrequest fortheestablishment ofaPanel
beinscribed ontheagenda ofthemeeting oftheDSBtobeheldon27September 1996.