G/SPS/N/USA/2807  
 
14 December 2015  
(15-6584)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
1. Notifying Member: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
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): Bovine products 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[ ] All trading partners   
[X] Specific regions or countries: Bulgaria; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Estonia; 
France; Hungary; India; Korea, Republic of; Latvia; Slovak Republic; 
Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Malta; Portugal; Romania; Switzerland  
5. Title of the notified document: Concurrence With OIE Risk Designations for Bovine 
Spongiform Encephalopathy (Docket # APHIS-2015-0055)  Language(s): English   
Number of pages: 2 
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR- 2015-12-04/html/2015-30667.htm  
6. Description of content: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is 
advising the public of its preliminary concurrence with the World Organization for Animal Health's (OIE) bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk designations for 16 regions. 
The OIE recognizes these regions as being of negligible risk for BSE. APHIS is taking this 
action based on its review of information supporting the OIE's risk designations for 
 
these regions. The list of those regions classified by APHIS as having either  
negligible risk or controlled risk can be accessed on the APHIS Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/i mport_export/animals/ani mal_disease_status.shtml . The 
list can also be obtained by writing to APHIS at National Import Export Services, 4700 
River Road Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 20737. In accordance with this process, APHIS is 
giving notice in this document that it intends to concur with the OIE risk classifications of 
the following countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Hungary, India, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenst ein, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Romania, 
Slovak Republic, and Switzerland. 
7. Objective and rationale: [ ] food safety, [X] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   G/SPS/N/USA/2807 
 
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  8. Is there a relevant international st andard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial  n u m b e r  o f  C o d e x  
standard or related text)   
[X] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)  In accordance with this process, we 
are giving notice in this document that APHIS intends to concur with the OIE risk 
classifications of the following countries: Chapter 11.4 
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    
[ ] None 
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
[X] Yes   [ ] No If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:  
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : Not applicable 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : Not applicable 
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [ ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : Not applicable 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 2 February 2016 
Agency or authority designated to hand le comments: [ ] National Notification 
Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
You may submit comments by either of the following methods: 
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2015-0055. 
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2015-0055, 
Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road 
Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. 
Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may be viewed at 
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2015-0055. 
For further information contact: Dr Robe rta Morales, Senior Staff Veterinarian, 
Regionalization Evaluation Services, Nation al Import Export Services, VS, APHIS, 
920 Main Campus Drive, Suite 200, Raleigh, NC 27606; +(919) 855 7735 
13. Text(s) available from: [X] National Notifi cation Authority, [ ] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (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