. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/322
6 September 2000
(00-3472)
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: Environmental Protection Agency – EPA
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, whereapplicable).  Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or
practicable: Pesticides
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Notice of Filing a Pesticide Petition
to Establish an Exemption From Tolerance for a Certain Pesticide Chemical in or on Food -
Oceanic Clay (7 pages)
5. Description of content:  This notice announces the initial filing of a pesticide petition
proposing the establishment of regulations for residues of a certain pesticide chemical in or
on various food commodities.
EPA has received a pesticide petition proposing, pursuant to section 408(d) of the FFDCA,
21 U.S.C. 346(d), to amend 40 CFR part 180 to establish an exemption from the
requirement of a tolerance for the biochemical pesticide Oceanic Clay. Pursuant to section
408(d)(2)(A)(i) of the FFDCA, as amended, the petitioner has submitted the summary of
information, data, and arguments in support of their pesticide petition. This summary was
prepared by the petitioner and EPA has not fully evaluated the merits of the pesticide
petition. The summary may have been edited by EPA if the terminology used was unclear,
the summary contained extraneous material, or the summary unintentionally made thereader conclude that the findings reflected EPA's position and not the position of the
petitioner. The part of the summary shown here on product name and proposed use practices
was prepared by the petitioner:  Oceanic Clay (trade name: MinerALL) is proposed for use
as a crop protectant and growth stimulant on agricultural crops. For growing plants,
MinerALL works as a crop protectant by forming a barrier on the plant surface. The barrierprotects the plant from insects, heat, and stress, as well as creates an inhospitable
environment for plant diseases such as powdery mildew, Botrytis, and Fusarium. The
minerals, trace and rare earth elements in MinerALL provide nutrients to plants and
beneficial microorganisms. Overall, Oceanic Clay can be classified as having a non-toxic
mode of action.
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           G/SPS/N/USA/322
Page 2
7. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [  X ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  A Codex Alimentarius Commission maximum
residue level (MRL) is not required for Oceanic Clay.
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available: 65 FR 52740,
30 August 2000 (Available in English).
9. Proposed date of adoption: To be determined.
10. Proposed date of entry into force: To be determined.
11. Final date for comments: 27 September 2000
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  Environmental Protection Agency.
[    ] National notification authority, [     ] National enquiry point, or address, fax
number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:  Detailed instruction on where
and how to send comments is in the body of the full text - which will be sent upon requestto 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:
United States SPS Enquiry Point/Notification Authority
USDA/FAS/FSTSD
ATTN: Carolyn F. Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture BuildingStop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Phone (202) 720-2239
Fax (202) 690-0677E-mail Address: ofsts@fas.usda.gov