. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/MEX/175
24 October 2001
(01-5211)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES
1. Member to Agreement notifying: MEXICO
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries
and Food
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:  Checkpoints
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Emergency Mexican Official
Standard NOM-EM-014-ZOO-2001, Technical Animal Health Specifications for the
Facilities, Equipment and Operation of Check and Inspection Points for Meat, Carcasses,
Entrails and Offal being Imported into Mexico (6 pages)
5. Description of content:  The purpose of this Standard, which is mandatory throughout the
national territory, is to establish animal health specifications for the facilities, equipment,
running and operation of the check and inspection points authorized by the Ministry of
Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food.  It applies to the inspectionof imports of meat, carcasses, entrails and offal.
The enforcement of this Standard is the responsibility of the Ministry of
Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food, as well as the local
governments of the Federation, within the scop e of their respective powers and territories
and in accordance with the respective coordination agreements.
The application of the provisions of this Standard is the responsibility of the
National Agriculture and Food Health, Safety and Quality Service, through the General
Directorate of Animal Health and the General Directorate of Animal and Plant Health
Inspection, as well as the delegations of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, RuralDevelopment, Fisheries and Food, within their respective powers and territories.
6. Objective and rationale:  [  X ] food safety,  [     ] animal health,  [     ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [     ] protect territory from
other damage from pests           
7. Nature of the urgent problem(s):  One of the responsibilities of the Ministry of
Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food, is to support livestock
farming by the application of animal health measures, designed to prevent, control and
eradicate animal diseases and pests, with a view to protecting animal and human health.G/SPS/N/MEX/175
Page 2
7. Nature of the urgent problem(s): (cont'd)
The increasingly global character of trade, involving import and export economic
activity, increases the risk of the spread of diseases and pests from country to country.  It is
the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries
and Food, to protect animal health, by preventing exotic diseases and pests, as well as
diseases and pests controlled by means of national campaigns, from affecting domesticlivestock.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food is
the competent authority for regulating the check and inspection points and for carrying out
animal health controls for imports of meat, carcasses, entrails and offal.
In order to implement successfully sanitary programmes and campaigns and to
prevent the introduction, establishment and spread of diseases and pests of economic and
quarantine importance, the Ministry needs to develop, coordinate and control the operation
of the infrastructure for animal health insp ection, including the check and inspection points.
Following the publication, on 12 June 2000 in the Diario Oficial de la Federación
(Official Journal), of the Decree reforming and adding to the provisions of the Federal
Animal Health Law, an Emergency Mexican Official Standard was required in order to
issue the minimum specifications for the facilities and operation of the check and inspection
points referred to in Article 47 of that Law and in the first transitional article of the Decree.
In order to achieve the above objectives, Emergency Mexican Official Standard
NOM-EM-014-ZOO-2001 has been issued, introducing technical animal health
specifications for the facilities, equipment and operation of check and inspection points for
meat, carcasses, entrails and offal imported into Mexico.
8. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [  X ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give its appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:           
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Diario Oficial de la
Federación (Official Journal) 19 September 2001 (available in Spanish).
10. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):  The day following
publication in the Diario Oficial de la Federación (20 September 2001), in force for
six months following publication.
11. Texts available from/and agency or authority designated to handle comments:
[ X ] National notification authority, [     ] National enquiry point or address, fax
number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
Website:   www.economia.gob.mx/normas (Standards catalogue).