G/SPS/N/EU/131  
 
29 June 2015  
(15-3327)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES 
1. Notifying Member:  EUROPEAN UNION 
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  European Commission, Health and Food Safety Directorate-
General 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item  number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; IC S numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable): Dried beans originating from Nigeria declared under 
CN code 0713 39 00 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[ ] All trading partners   
[X] Specific regions or countries: Nigeria  
5. Title of the notified document: COMMISSION IMPLEMEN TING REGULATION 
(EU) 2015/943 of 18 June 2015 on emergency measures suspending imports of dried 
beans from Nigeria and amending Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 669/2009  
Language(s): English, French and Spanish  Number of pages: 2 
http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legalcontent/EN/TXT/?qid=1434966679082&uri=OJ:JOL_2015_154_R_00
02 http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/SPS/EEC/15_2472_00_e.pdf  
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/SPS/EEC/15_2472_00_f.pdf  
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/SPS/EEC/15_2472_00_s.pdf  
6. Description of content: The Regulation provides for the suspension of the import into 
the European Union of dried beans from Nigeria, further to the identification of a serious risk for human health due to the presence of pesticide residues at levels largely 
exceeding the acute reference dose tentatively established by the European Food Safety 
Authority. 
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.   
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s)  and reason for urgent action: The results of 
official controls on dried beans from Nigeria show a continuous high frequency of noncompliance with food law requirements as regards pesticide residues. In the recent past, a large number of notifications have been issued to the Rapid Alert System for 
Food and Feed in relation to dried beans originating from Nigeria, nearly all of them 
reporting the presence of the unauthorised active substance dichlorvos at levels largely exceeding the acute reference dose tentatively established by the European Food Safety 
Authority. 
These results provide evidence that the import  of this food presents a serious risk for 
human health and that such risk cannot be contained satisfactorily by means of 
measures taken by the Member States concerned. G/SPS/N/EU/131 
 
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  9. Is there a relevant international stan dard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text)   
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)   
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)   
[X] None 
Does this proposed regulation conform to  the relevant international standard? 
[ ] Yes   [X] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard: While Codex MRLs have been established for dried beans for 
certain substances, this is not the case for dichlorvos, which is the substance whose residues are found in the majority of the samples with the above mentioned acute 
reference dose exceedances. 
10. Other relevant documents and langua ge(s) in which these are available:      
11. Date of entry into force ( dd/mm/yy )/period of application (as applicable): 
20 June 2015 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Agency or authority designated to hand le comments: [X] National Notification 
Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
European Commission  
DG Health and Food Safety, Unit G6-Multilateral International Relations 
Rue Froissart 101 
B-1049 Brussels Tel: +(32 2) 29 54263 
Fax: +(32 2) 29 98090 
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu 
13. Text(s) available from: [X] National Noti fication Authority, [X] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e-mail a ddress (if available)  of other body:  
European Commission 
DG Health and Food Safety, Unit G6-Multilateral International Relations 
Rue Froissart 101 
B-1049 Brussels Tel: +(32 2) 29 54263 
Fax: +(32 2) 29 98090 
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu