G/SPS/N/FIN/2  
 
6 April 2017  
(17-1881) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary  and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member: FINLAND  
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Food Department  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as sp ecified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable): Reptile meat and minced meat, meat preparations 
containing reptile meat, meat products and heat -treated stomachs, bladders and 
intestines o f reptile meat origin, composite products containing meat products or heat -
treated stomachs, bladders and int estines of reptile meat origin.  
HS codes: 020850 and 021093. Also for example the following HS codes for food 
containing reptile meat or reptile me at products: 1601 00 91, 1601 00 99 90, 1602 10, 
1602 90 99, 1603 00 10, 1603 00 80, 0504 00 00 10, 0504 00 00 90, 1902 20 30, 1905 
90 55, 2103 90 90 10, 2103 90 90 80, 2104 10 00 10, 2104 10 00 90, 2104 20, 2106 
10 20 90, 2106 10 80 70 and 2106 90.  
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: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Decree on meat, 
processed meat products and composite products containing processed meat products 
which are imported from third countries.  Language(s): Original language of the Decree 
is Finnish. The relevant parts of the Degree concerning this notification and the import 
requirements of reptile  meat are available in English, plea se find the text below in 
point 6 (paragraph 11, paragraph 12 subsection 2, paragraph 13 subsection 2 and 
paragraph 16 subsection 2).  Number of pages:   
6. Description of content: This Decree lays down the following impo rt requirements for 
reptile meat:  
 Import requirements f or reptile meat and minced meat (Paragraph 11)  
Reptile meat and minced meat may only be imported from the third countries and 
territories or parts thereof mentioned in Part 1 of  Annex II to Regulation 
(EU) No 206/2010. The holding of origin for the reptiles must be controlled by a 
veterinary authority in the country of origin, and the slaughter and production 
establishment must be approved and controlled by a competent authority in the country 
of origin . The production, processing and distribution of reptile meat and minced meat 
must meet the relevant hygiene requirements laid down in Regulations 
(EC) No 852/2004 and 853/2004. Imported reptile meat and minced meat must be 
frozen at -12 °C or lower for at  least five days in order to kill Spirometra  parasites. In 
addition, meat and minced meat must be examined for salmonella  according t o 
Commission Regulation (EC) No  2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, and 
a certificate of the examination must be attached to the imported batch. The rules on 
controls for Trichinella  in meat obtained from animals susceptible to Trichinella  infection 
such as crocodiles are laid down in Chapter III of Commission Implementing Regulation G/SPS/N/FIN/2  
 
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  (EU) No  2015/1375. Compl iance with the requirements in subsection 1 above must be 
certified by means of a certificate under Annex VI to Regula tion (EC) No 854/2004.  
 Import req uirements for meat preparations  (Paragraph 12)  
Para. 12, subsection 2:  
By way of derogation from subsecti on 1 above, reptile meat used as the raw material for 
meat preparations made of reptile meat must comply with the requirements laid down in 
Para. 11. 
 Import requirements for meat products and heat -treated stomachs, bladders and 
intestines  (Paragraph 13)  
Para. 13, subsection 2:  
By way of derogation from subsections 1 and 2 above, the reptile meat used as the raw 
material for meat products made of reptile meat and heat -treated stomachs, bladders 
and intestines must comply with the requirements laid down in Para. 11. 
 Import requirements for combination products containing meat products or heat -
treated stomachs, bladders and intestines  (Paragraph 16)  
Para. 16, subsection 2:  
By way of derogation from subsection 1 above, reptile meat used for combination 
products containing meat products or heat -treated stomachs, bladders and intestines 
made of reptile meat must comply with the requirements laid down in Para. 11. 
7. Objective and rationale: [X]  food safety, [  ] animal health, [  ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect huma ns from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.  
8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or rel ated 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   [  ] 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:  
 Regulation (EC) No  852/2004 of the Europea n Parliament and of t he Council  
 Regulation (EC) No  853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the  Council  
 Regulation (EC) No  854/2004 of the Europea n Parliament and of the Council  
 Commission Implementing Regulati on (EU) 2015/1375 ( Trichinella ) 
 Commission R egulation  (EC) No 2073/2005 ( Salmonella ) 
 EFSA report on  reptile meat risk assessment (" Public health risks involved in the 
human consumption of reptile meat ", Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Biological 
Hazards, The EFSA Journal (2007) 578, 1 -55. A direc t link to the publication: 
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2007.578/pdf )  
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : June 2017 
Proposed date of pub lication (dd/mm/yy) : June 2017 
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : June 2017 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure  G/SPS/N/FIN/2  
 
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  12. Final date for comments: [X]  Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 5 June 2017  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
European Commission  
DG Healt h and Food Safety, Unit D2 -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 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 D2 -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