G/SPS/N/AUS/403  
 
14 October 2016  
(16-5564) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member: AUSTRALIA  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible: Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water 
Resources  
3. Products covered (provide tariff ite m number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable): Fish and Fish products  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trad ing partners (except New Zealand)  
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document: Fish and fish products for histamine analysis - 
Proposed risk food classification - request for comment . Language(s): English . 
Number of pages: 3 
6. Description of content: Australia is preparing science -based risk statements on the 
risks associated with certain imported foods. As each risk statement is prepared, they 
are published on the Food Standards Australia New Zealand website 
(http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/importedfoods/Pages/FSANZ -advice -on-
imported -food.aspx ). 
In response to the risk statement on fish and fish products fo r histamine, Australia is 
proposing changes to the inspection and analysis of specified fish and fish products.  
Australia proposes these changes to ensure that these fish and fish products do not 
contain more than 200 mg/kg of histamine in the fish or fish  products.  
Under the proposed changes:  
 fish and fish products that are, or contain more than 300 g/kg of, fish of the families 
Scombridae, Coryphaenidae, Pomatomidae, Carangidae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae or 
Scomberesocidae would be classified as risk food un der the Imported Food Control 
Act 1992; and  
 the specified fish and fish products would be subject to an initial 100 per cent rate of 
inspection and analysis for histamine. If consignments are found to comply with the 
200 mg/kg level in the Australia New Ze aland Food Standards Code then this rate of 
inspection and analysis would reduce to 25 per cent of consignments from each 
producer and then ultimately to 5 per cent of consignments from each producer.  
Specific detail on the kinds of fish and the initial in crease in the rate of inspection and 
analysis is available at http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/goods/food/notices/ifn -17-
16. 
It is expected that these changes would take  effect in December 2016.  
7. 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/AUS/403  
 
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  8. Is there a relevant internation al standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[X] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) :  
 Quick frozen fish fillets (Codex Stan 190 -1995) (Codex 1995)  
 Quick frozen fish sticks (fish fingers), fish portio ns and fish fillets - breaded 
or in batter (Codex Stan 166 -1989)  (Codex 1989a)  
 Quick frozen blocks and fish fillet, minced fish flesh and mixtures of fillets 
and minced fish flesh (Codex Stan 165 -1989) (Codex 1989b)  
 Canned finfish (Codex Stan 119 -1981)  (Codex 1981a)  
 Canned tuna and bonito (Codex Stan 70 -1981)  (Codex 1981b)  
 Canned sardines and sardine -type products (Codex Stan 94 -1981) 
(Codex  1981c)  
 Smoked fish, smoke -flavoured fish and s moke -dried fish (Codex 
Stan 311-2013)  (Codex 2013)  
 Boiled dried salted  anchovies (Codex Stan 236 -2003) (Codex 2003a)  
 Salted atlantic herring (Clupea harengus)  and salted sprat (Sprattus 
sprattus) (Codex Stan 244 -2004) (Codex 2004)  
 Fish sauce (Codex Stan 302 -2011) (Codex 2011)  
 Code of practice for fish and fishery products CA C/RCP 52 -2003 
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :   
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :   
[ ] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relev ant international standard?   
[X] Yes   [ ] No  
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard: In Australia, the applicable standard for fish and fish products 
specifies that these foods must not contain more th an 200 mg/kg of histamine. This is 
consistent with Codex standards. However, the Codex  standard for fish sauce 
(Codex  Stan 302 -2011) provides that the product must not contain more than 40 mg 
histamine per 100 g (400 mg/kg). The applicable standard in Aust ralia species that fish 
sauce must not contain more than 200 mg/kg histamine.  
9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:     
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : December 2016  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : 13 October 2016  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [ ]  Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : December 2016  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [ ]  Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 13 December 2016  (9 a.m. Australian Eastern 
Daylight Time)  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other  body:  
The Australian SPS Notification Point  
GPO Box 858  
Canberra ACT 2601  
Australia  
Fax: +(61 2) 6272 3678  
E-mail: sps.contact@agriculture.gov.au  G/SPS/N/AUS/403  
 
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  13. Text(s)  available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax n umber and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
The Australian SPS Notification Point  
GPO Box 858  
Canberra ACT 2601  
Australia  
Fax: +(61 2) 6272 3678  
E-mail: sps.contact@agriculture.gov.au  
Specific detail is available at  
http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/goods/food/notices/ifn -17-16.