G/TBT/N/JPN/667  
31 July 2020  
(20-5354) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  JAPAN   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF)  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different fro m above:   
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Semen and 
Embryo derived from cattle, horse and pig for breeding (HS: 0511.10 ; 0511.99) 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Draft 
Amendment of the Ordinance for the Enforcement of the Act on Improvement and 
Increased Production of Livestock  
6. Description of content:  In order to prevent fraudulent transaction and unauthorised 
distribution by ensuring the traceability from the  production to the artificial insemination 
and embryo transfer, MAFF will amend the Ordinance for the Enforcement of the Act on 
Improvement and Increased Production of Livestock. This amendment will establish the 
requirements for the labelling on plastic s traw filled with "designated semen or embryo", 
which are used for artificial insemination or embryo transfer.  
The following items need to be labelled on plastic straws.  
a) Semen  
1) Name of sperm donor  
2) Collection date  
- Its individual identification number (Bovine) of semen can be labelled as a substitute 
of 1), when it is inappropriate to label a name of sperm donor.  
b) Embryo  
1) Names of sperm and oocyte donor, or their individual identification numbers (Bovine)  
2) Collection date  
3) Registlation number of Artificial Insemination Center.  
- Certificate number of embryo can be labelled as a substitute of 1) and 2).  
Note: This amendment will be followed by the ordinance, in which "Designated semen and 
embryo" will be specified for Japane se Black, Japanese Brown, Japanese Shorthorn, 
Japanese Polled, and hybrids among those 4 breeds. The inappropriate transactions of the 
"Designated semen and embryo" will be prohibited by Act on Prevention of Unfair G/TBT/N/JPN/667  
 
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  Competition on Genetic Resources of Lives tock, published in April  2020 
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  Prevention of deceptive practices and consumer protection  
8. Relevant documents:  The amendment of the Ordinance for the Enforcement of the Act 
on Improvement and Increased Production of Livestock is to be published in the Official 
Gazette, "KAMPO". (Available in Japanese)  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  September 2020  
Proposed date of entry into force:  October 2020  
10. Final date for comments:  16 September 2020  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body: