. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/1063 
11 January 2011 
 (11-0179) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
ESTABLISHMENT OF A LIST OF APPROVED OR REGISTERED ESTABLISHMENTS 
AND PLANTS FOR THE IMPORT OR TRANSIT OF ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS 
 
Communication from the European Union
 
 
 
 The following communication, received on 7 January  2011, is being circulated at the request 
of the Delegation of the European Union . 
 
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 1. By way of notification G/SPS/N/EEC/386 (21 Se ptember 2010) the European Union (EU) has 
informed WTO Members of its draft implementing measures for Regulation (EC)  
No 1069/2009 laying down health rules as regar ds animal by-products and derived products not 
intended for human consumption and repe aling Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 .  Those measures are 
to be applied as from 4 March 2011. 
2. In accordance with Article 41(3)(b) of Regul ation (EC) No 1069/2009, consignments of 
animal by-products or derived prod ucts which are imported into the European Union, or which are in 
transit, must come from establishments or plants a pproved or registered by the competent authority of 
the third country of origin and listed by that auth ority for that purpose.  In addition, as stated in 
Article 30 of the draft implementing measures ( notified under G/SPS/N/EEC/386), such a list of 
establishments or plants shall be entered into the TRACES system. 
3. TRACES (see document G/SPS/GEN/489 of 18 May 2004)  is a central database to ensure the 
traceability of animals and certain types of anim al products both from outside and within the 
European Union. 
4. Under the current import rules on animal by-products, which are laid down in Regulation 
(EC) No 1774/2002 (G/SPS/N/EEC/103 of 24 Novemb er 2000), the list of approved and registered 
plants in third countries from where animal by-produ cts could be exported to the European Union is 
subject to a bilateral agreement between the exporting country and the EU member State of 
importation. 
5. In view of the modification to the listing under the new EU legislation on animal by-products, 
TRACES will integrate all information regarding a pproved and registered establishments in third 
countries into a single central databa se at EU level.  This will be a significant improvement which will 
result in a reduction of administrative burden for the import of animal by-products.  In addition, third countries will benefit from the fact that they will be able to maintain and update their lists of 
establishments directly in TRACES.  G/SPS/GEN/1063 
Page 2  
 
  How does the new database work in practice? 
 
6. The initial introduction of data on establishmen ts in third countries into TRACES will be 
undertaken by the European Commission (Commission).  On the Commission website
1, technical 
specifications for the competent authorities of thir d countries with all relevant information on the 
necessary data which has to be provided will be publis hed.  In order to avoid disruptions of trade, 
third countries should communicate this informati on to the European Union under the specified 
format well before 4 March 2011. 
7. The Commission offers WTO Members the opportunity to participate in a special training 
where further information on the practical hand ling of TRACES will be provided.  Following the 
training, participating WTO Members will also re ceive direct access to TRACES, together with 
instructions to enable them to ma intain their lists in the database.  Training will be organised in the 
beginning of February 2011. 
8. Provisionally, separate trainings in English a nd Spanish are foreseen at this stage.  WTO 
Members with an interest in those trainings are ask ed to communicate this to the address below, so 
that they can be invited to the trainings.  Trainings  will be held in Brussels, and are open to experts 
from any WTO Member or their representatives residing in Brussels. 
9. Should a WTO Member not wish to participate in  the training, in view of the limited scope of 
exports of animal by-products and derived products to the European Union, it is invited to transmit, 
either before 4 March 2011 or prior to sending cons ignments to the European Union at a later stage, 
the necessary information regarding its list of approv ed and registered plants to the Commission, so 
that the information can be made available through TRACES.  
 10. For any technical queries, the following info rmation point in the European Commission may 
be contacted: 
 DG Health and Consumers,  
 Unit D1 - Animal health and standi ng committees - Trade and Zootechnics  
 Rue Froissart 101, B-1049 Brussels  Tel.:  + 322 29 87228  E-mail:  matjaz.klemencic@ec.europa.eu
 
 
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1 http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/biosafety/es tablishments/third_country/index_en.htm