. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/345
20 October 2000
(00-4355)
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 may be provided in addition, where
applicable).  Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or
practicable:  Plants
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Plant Quarantine Safeguard
Regulations
5. Description of content:
This notice is being issued to inform importe rs to prepare for expected changes to the
Safeguarding Regulations (7 CFR 352).  The Safeguard Regulations currently allow for
untreated fruit from various countries to ente r the United States and transit to a port for
export to another country.
We will be proposing to rewrite 7 CFR 352 to consider pest risk in the decision-making
process for issuance of permits, to ensure compliance with the movement of regulated
commodities, and to strengthen the safeguarding process.  This is one result of the
document Safeguarding American Plant Resources (Issued in July 1999), which
recommended several changes to strengthen the safeguarding system.
No immediate changes will result due to this no tice.  However, the change to the regulation
when written may cause changes in the issu ance of the permits and changes in the
restrictions on the movement of transiting commodities.  Some of the following restrictions
may be placed on permits:  specified length of time a commodity is allowed in the United
States before export;  specified routing of the commodity (designated corridors);
commodity movements limited through certain ports within certain times;  seals; labellingof containers to distinguish transit shipments from imported ones;  and/or increased
monitoring to verify that shipments are exported correctly.  Marking on individual units of
cargo may be required for certain shipments.
This policy will be published in the Federal Register in the very near future.
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           G/SPS/N/USA/345
Page 2
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 proposing this action in accordance
with Article 6, Paragraph 1 of the Intern ational Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Memo from the
Associate Director, Plant Health Programs, USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service to the United States SPS Notification Authority dated 13 October 2000 (Availablein English).
9. Proposed date of adoption:  15 December 2000
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  15 December 2000
11. Final date for comments:  15 November 2000
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  USDA, Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service  [    ] National notification authority, [     ] National enquiry point, or
address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
PPQ, OS, Directors Office
Attn: Mr. John Payne
4700 River Road Unit 131Riverdale, Maryland 20737
Tel:  301-734-8261
Fax:  301-734-7639
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:
United States SPS Enquiry Point/Notification Authority
USDA/FAS/FSTSDATTN: Carolyn F. Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture Building
Stop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Tel:  (202) 720-2239
Fax:  (202) 690-0677E-mail Address: ofsts@fas.usda.gov