G/SPS/N/USA/2598  
 
19 November 2013  
(13-6357)  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: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 
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): Plants 
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: Evaluation of Established Plant Pests for Action at 
Ports of Entry (Docket No. APHIS-2013-0048)  Language(s): English  Number of 
pages: 2 
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docu mentDetail;D=APH IS-2013-0048-0001  
6. Description of content: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is advising the 
public that we have been and are assessing certain plant pests that are present in the 
United States to determine whether we should take action to mitigate the risk posed by 
those pests when they are found in consignments of imported goods at ports of entry into the United States. We have determined that it is no longer appropriate or necessary 
to take such action on some plant pests on which we had been taking action at ports of 
entry because we are not taking any regulatory action on those same pests when we find them in interstate movement, due to our scientific determination that we do not 
need to mitigate their pest risk. This process relieves restrictions that are no longer 
needed and ensures that actions taken on plant pests found in imported goods are consistent with the actions we take on those same pests when they appear in interstate commerce. 
Federal Register, Volume 78, No. 219, Wednesday 13 November 2013, pages 68020-
68021. 
7. Objective and rationale: [ ] food safety, [ ] animal health, [X] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   
8. Is there a relevant international st andard? 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)    
[X] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    G/SPS/N/USA/2598 
 
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  [ ] 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) : Not applicable 
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:  
For further information contact: Mr David B. Lamb, Regulatory Policy Specialist, RPM, 
PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; +(301) 851 2018; 
or Ms Diane L. Schuble, National Coordinato r for Official Control, Pest Detection and 
Emergency Programs, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1237; +(1 301) 851 2334 
13. Texts available from: [X] National Notification 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