G/SPS/N/USA/2511/Add.1  
 
9 March 2015  
(15-1327)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
Addendum 
The following communication, received on 9 March 2015, is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of the United States of America. 
 
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 Document Reviews of Foreign Food Regulatory Systems: New Web-based Self-Reporting Tool 
FSIS is making available to the public its new Web-based Self-Reporting Tool (SRT) that it will be 
sending to foreign countries to report information on their food regulatory systems for the purpose 
of establishing that the systems are, or continue to be, equivalent to that of the United States 
system. The Agency will send a letter to foreign countries with instructions on how to access and 
use the Web-based SRT. FSIS is also responding to the comments on its document review process 
for determining and verifying equivalence that th e Agency received in response to the Federal 
Register notice that it published on 25 January 2013, on the use of the SRT. FSIS evaluates the 
information provided in the SRT and uses it, along with the results of on-site systems audits and 
port-of-entry (POE) reinspections, to make a determination on equivalence. 
DATES: On 17 February 2015, FSIS will make ava ilable to the public the new Web-based SRT. To 
ensure that a complete and up-to-date SRT is  being considered as part of FSISs annual 
assessment of country performance, countries that are currently eligible to export meat, poultry, 
and egg products to the United States must submit their completed SRTs to FSIS before 18 May 2015 and annually before 18 May thereafter. FSIS will send SRTs to all countries currently 
eligible to export meat, poultry, and egg products to the United States on 1 December of each 
year in the future. 
Countries applying for initial equivalence determinations after 23 February 2015 must submit their 
completed SRTs within one year of receiving the SRT. 
Link to the Federal Register Notice may be found at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-02-
23/html/2015-03576.htm . 
This addendum concerns a: 
[ ] Modification of final date for comments 
[ ] Notification of adoption, publication or entry into force of regulation 
[X] 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) : Not applicable G/SPS/N/USA/2511/Add.1 
 
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  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: 
Dr. Daniel L. Engeljohn, Assistant Administrato r, Office of Policy and Program Development; 
Tel: +(1 202) 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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