G/SPS/N/USA/2734/Add.1  
 
25 January 2016  
(16-0487)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
Addendum 
The following communication, received on 22 January 2016, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of the United States of America. 
 
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 Final Rule: Exportation of Live Animals, Hatching Eggs, and Animal Germplasm From the United 
States (Docket No. APHIS-2012-0049) 
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (A PHIS) is revising the regulations pertaining to 
the exportation of livestock from the United States . Among other things, it is removing most of the 
requirements for export health certifications, te sts, and treatments from the regulations, and 
instead directing exporters to follow the requirem ents of the importing country regarding such 
processes and procedures. APHIS is retaining only those export health certification, testing, and treatment requirements that it considers necessary to have assurances regarding the health and 
welfare of livestock exported from the United States . It also is allowing pre-export inspection of 
livestock to occur at facilities other than an export inspection facility associated with the port of embarkation, under certain circumstances, and replacing specific standards for export inspection facilities and ocean vessels with performance standards. These changes will provide exporters and 
APHIS with more flexibility in arranging for the export of livestock from the United States while 
continuing to ensure the health and welfare of the livestock. Additionally, if APHIS knows that an importing country requires an export health ce rtificate endorsed by the competent veterinary 
authority of the United States for any animal other than livestock, including pets, or for any 
hatching eggs or animal germplasm, it is requiring that the animal, hatching eggs, or animal germplasm have such a health certificate to be eligible for export from the United States. This 
change will help ensure that all animals, hatching eggs, and animal germplasm exported from the 
United States meet the health requirements of th e countries to which they  are destined. Finally, 
APHIS is making editorial amendments to the regulations to make them easier to understand and comply with. 
This notice is available in English at: 
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docume ntDetail;D=APHIS _FRDOC_0001-1868 . 
Federal Register, Vol. 81, No. 12, Wednesday, 20 January 2016, pgs. 2967-2986. 
On 26 February 2015, APHIS published in the Fe deral Register (80 FR 10398-10417, Docket 
No. APHIS-2012-0049) a proposed rule to remove requirements that it determined to be unnecessary or overly prescriptive from the regulations in order to provide exporters and APHIS 
with more options for inspecting and handling li vestock intended for export. Additionally, APHIS 
proposed to amend the regulations so that, when an importing country is known to require an export health certificate for any animal other than livestock or for any animal semen, animal embryos, hatching eggs, other embryonated eggs, or  gametes intended for export to that country, 
the animal or other commodity would have to have an export health certificate in order to be 
eligible for export from the United States. Finally,  APHIS proposed to group certain provisions that 
were located in disparate sections of the regulations, and to make certain other editorial changes 
to make the regulations easier to read. It solicited comments concerning the proposal for 60 days 
ending 27 April 2015. APHIS received 48 comments by that date. They were from exporters, brokers, non-profit animal welfare organizations, and private citizens. G/SPS/N/USA/2734/Add.1 
 
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  To view the proposed rule, supporting documents, and the comments received, go to:  
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docu mentDetail;D=APH IS-2012-0049-0001 . 
This addendum concerns a: 
[ ] Modification of final date for comments 
[X] Notification of adoption, publication or entry into force of regulation 
[ ] Modification of content and/or scope of  previously notified draft regulation 
[ ] Withdrawal of proposed regulation 
[ ] Change in proposed date of adoption, publication or date of entry into force 
[ ] Other:   
Comment period: (If the addendum extends the scope of the previously notified 
measure in terms of products and/or potent ially affected Members, a new deadline for 
receipt of comments should be provided, norm ally of at least 60 calendar days. Under 
other circumstances, such as extension of or iginally announced final date for comments, 
the comment period provided in the addendum may vary.)  
[ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the addendum to the notification and/or 
(dd/mm/yy) : Effective 19 February 2016. 
Agency or authority designated to handle co mments: [ ] National Notification Authority, 
[ ] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax nu mber and e-mail address (if available) of 
other body: 
Dr Jack Taniewski, Director for Animal Export, National Import Export Services, VS, APHIS, 4700 
River Road, Unit 39, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; +(301) 851 3300 
Text(s) available from: [X] National Notificati on Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point. 
Address, fax number and e-mail addre ss (if available) of other body: 
United States SPS National Notification Authority, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, International 
Regulations and Standards Division (IRSD), Stop 1014, Washington D.C. 20250; Tel: +(1 202) 
720 1301; Fax: +(1 202) 720 0433; E-mail: us.spsenquirypoint@fas.usda.gov 
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