G/SPS/N/USA/2171/Add.1  
 
3 December 2015  
(15-6399)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
Addendum 
The following communication, received on 3 December 2015, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of the United States of America. 
 
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 Mandatory Inspection of Fish of the order Siluriformes and Products Derived from Such Fish 
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending its regulations to establish a 
mandatory inspection program for fish of the order Siluriformes and products derived from these 
fish. These final regulations implement the prov isions of the 2008 and 2014 Farm Bills, which 
amended the Federal Meat Inspection Act, mandating FSIS inspection of Siluriformes. 
Effective Date: 1 March 2016. 
On the effective date (1 March 2016), Siluriformes fish and fish products are under FSIS 
jurisdiction. By this date, foreign countries seeking to continue exporting Siluriformes fish and fish 
products to the United States during the transitional period are required to submit lists of 
establishments (with the establishment name and number) that currently export and will continue to export Siluriformes fish and fish products to the United States. Foreign countries are also required to submit documentation showing that they currently have laws or other legal measures 
in place that provide authority to regulate the gr owing and processing of fish for human food and 
to assure compliance with the Food and Drug Admi nistration's (FDA) regulatory requirements in 
21 CFR 123, Fish and Fishery Products. 
Transitional Period (transition to complete implementation): Beginning on 1 March 2016 and 
continuing until 1 September 2017, FSIS will co nduct inspection and exercise broad enforcement 
discretion in domestic establishments that slau ghter or slaughter and process and distribute 
Siluriformes fish and fish products. Foreign countries seeking to continue to export Siluriformes 
fish and fish products to the United States after the transitional period has expired are required to submit to FSIS by 1 September 2017 adequate documentation showing the equivalence of their 
Siluriformes inspection systems with that of the United States. Foreign countries submitting such 
documentation by the deadline are permitted to continue exporting Siluriformes fish and fish 
products to the United States while FSIS und ertakes an evaluation as to equivalency. 
Date of Full Enforcement (1 September 2017): FSIS will fully enforce these regulations in domestic 
Siluriformes fish products and fish processing  establishments. Foreign countries seeking to 
continue exporting Siluriformes fish and fish prod ucts to the United States upon full enforcement 
are required to submit their documentation showing equivalence by this date.  
Text for the final rule is available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/p kg/FR-2015-12-02/pdf/2015-
29793.pdf . G/SPS/N/USA/2171/Add.1 
 
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  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) : 1 March 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: 
David Engeljohn, Assistant Administrator, Office of Policy and Program Development, FSIS, United 
States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-3700, +(202) 205 0495  
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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