G/SPS/N/USA/2931  
 
27 June 2017  
(17-3438) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Me asures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member: UNITED STATES OF AME RICA 
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item n umber(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable): Tree tomatoes  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[ ] All trading partners   
[X] Specific regions or countries: Ecuador  
5. Title of the notified document: Importation of Fruit and Vegetable Into the 
Continental United States: Tree Tomatoes from Ecuador (Docket # APHIS -2015-0072).  
Language(s): English . Number of pages: 5 
https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=APHIS -2015-0072-0001 
6. Description of content: The U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 
is proposing to amend the fr uit and vegetable regulations to allow the importation of 
tree tomatoes from Ecuador into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, 
the tree tomatoes would have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach 
that would include requireme nts for importation in commercial consignments, 
registration and monitoring of places of production, field monitoring and pest -control 
practices, trapping, and inspection for quarantine pests by the national plant protection 
organization of Ecuador. This a ction would allow the importation of tree tomatoes from 
Ecuador while continuing to protect against the introduction of plant pests into the 
United States.  
Federal Register Vol. 82 No. 118, Wednesday, 21 June  2017, Pages 28262 -28266.  
7. Objective and rati onale: [  ] 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 standard? 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) :  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number) :  
[X] None  G/SPS/N/USA/2931  
 
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  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 lang uage(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) : 21 August 2017  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [  ] National Notification 
Author ity, [  ] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
Ms Claudia Ferguson, M.S., Senior Regulatory Policy Specialist, Regulatory Coordination 
and Compliance, Imports, Regulations, and Manuals, PPQ, APHIS, 47 00 River Road, Unit 
133, Riverdale, MD 20737 -1231; +(301) 851 2352  
13. Text(s)  available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [  ] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
United States SPS Nationa l 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