G/SPS/N/USA/2520  
 
14 February 2013  
(13-0835)  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 (APHIS) of the 
US Department of Agriculture 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item  number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO;  ICS numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable):  Horses 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:    
5. Title of the notified document:  Importation of Horses from Contagious Equine 
Metritis-Affected Countries  Language(s):  English  Number of pages:  5 
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docu mentDetail;D=APH IS-2008-0112-0024  
6. Description of content:  The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is 
adopting as a final rule, with changes, an interim rule that amended the regulations 
regarding the importation of horses from countries affected with contagious equine 
metritis (CEM) by incorporating an additional certification requirement for imported horses 731 days of age or less and adding new testing protocols for test mares and 
imported stallions and mares more than 731 days of age. This document revises certain 
CEM-testing requirements for imported stallions and mares, and for test mares, that were amended in the interim rule. The interim rule was necessary to provide additional 
safeguards against the introduction of CEM through the importation of affected horses. 
Federal Register Volume 78, Number 28 (Monday, 11 February 2013), Pages 9577-9581 
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/2520 
 
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8. Is there a relevant international st andard?  If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or seri al number of Codex 
standard or related text)   
[X] 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 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) :  This Rule is effective 13 March 2013. 
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) :  This Rule is effective 13 March 2013. 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments:  [ ] Sixty days  from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) :  This Rule is effective 13 March 2013. 
Agency or authority designated to handle  comments:  [ ] National Notification 
Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address 
(if available) of other body:   
For further information contact: Dr. Ellen Buck, Senior Staff Veterinarian, Equine 
Imports, National Center for Import and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 36, 
Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; +(1 301) 851 3361. 
13. Texts 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 Auth ority, 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