WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/EEC/348 
24 July 2009 
 (09-3645) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
 
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Notifying Member:  EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES  
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  Commission of the European Communities.  Health & Consumers 
Directorate-General  Directorate E – Safety of the food chain 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable):  Live turkeys and hatching eggs thereo f (HS Codes 0105 and 0407), day-old 
chicks of Gallus gallus  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[   ] All trading partners, or 
[ X ] Specific regions or countries:  All EC member States and all third countries 
which have no EU approved Salmonella control programme for flocks of turkeys, but were 
so far allowed to import live turkeys or hatchi ng eggs thereof.  Israel as regards import of 
day-old chicks of Gallus gallus  intended for laying or fattening.  
5. Title of the notified document:  "Draft Commission Regulation approving a control 
programme for Salmonella  for Israel in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of 
the European Parliament and of the Counc il and amending Annex I to Regulation (EC) 
No. 798/2008 as regards the Salmonella  control status in turkeys of certain third countries" 
(Document SANCO/5541/2009 rev.1).  Language:  English  Number of pages:  14 
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2009/sps/EEC/09_2592_00_e.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The purpose of the current draft Regulation is to amend 
Regulation (EC) No 798/2008 taking into acc ount the requirements in Regulation (EC) 
No. 2160/2003 as regards equivalent guarantees for Salmonella .  In particular, the import 
of live turkeys and hatching eggs should be  prohibited unless an equivalent control 
programme has been submitted by the third country and approved by the Commission. 
Additionally, import of live layi ng hens and broilers as day-old chicks is reauthorized from 
Israel since their control programmes was cons idered equivalent.  Article 10 of Regulation 
(EC) No 2160/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the control of Salmonella and other specified food-borne agents
1, lays down conditions for third countries 
with regard to the control of Salmonella .  Admission to or retention on the list of third 
countries from which EC member States are authorized to import the relevant animals and hatching eggs, is subject to the submission and approval by the Commission of a Salmonella control programme in the third country, e quivalent to the control programme in 
the EC member States.  
                                                      
1 OJ L 325, 12.12.2003, P.1 G/SPS/N/EEC/348 
Page 2  
 
___________________________ 
 2OJ L 226, 23.8.2008, p.1 Salmonella control programmes are applicable in flocks of turkeys in all EC member States 
from 1 January 2010 on.  Therefore, equivale nt guarantees must be provided by third 
countries from then on. 
Commission Regulation (EC) No 798/2008 laying down a list of third countries, territories, 
zones or compartments from which poultry and poultry products may be imported into and 
transit through the European Communities a nd the veterinary certification requirements2 
covers imports into and transit through th e European Communities of, in particular, 
breeding and productive poultry, eggs and da y-old chicks and sets out a list of third 
countries from which EC member States are authorized to import the relevant animals and eggs. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [ X ] animal health, [   ] plant protection, 
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [   ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.    
8. Is there a relevant international stan dard?  If so, identify the standard:  
[ X ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex standard 
or related text)  CAC/RCP 15 – 1976 
[ X ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)   Chapter 2.10.2 of the OIE Terrestrial 
Code  
[   ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM N°)     
[   ] 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:   
Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
17 November 2003 on the control of Salmonella and other specified food-borne zoonotic 
agents. 
Commission Regulation (EC) No 798/2008 laying down a list of third countries, territories, 
zones or compartments from which poultry and poultry products may be imported into and 
transit through the European Communities and the veterinary certification requirements. 
Commission Regulation (EC) No 584/2008 of 20  June 2008 implementing Regulation (EC) 
No 2160/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards a Community 
target for the reduction of the prevalence of Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella 
Typhimurium in turkeys. 
Commission Regulation (EC) No 1177/2006 of  1 August 2006 implementing Regulation 
(EC) No 2160/2003 of the European Parliament  and of the Council as regards requirements 
for the use of specific control methods in th e framework of the national programmes for the 
control of Salmonella in poultry. 
 
  G/SPS/N/EEC/348 
 Page 3 
 
 
  Commission Decision 2007/843/EC of 11 December 2007 concerning approval of 
Salmonella control programmes in breeding flocks of Gallus gallus in certain third 
countries in accordance with Regulation (EC) No  2160/2003 of the European Parliament 
and amending Decision 2006/696/EC, as regards certain public health requirements at 
import of poultry and hatching eggs. 
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) :  15 December 2009 
Propose date of publication ( dd/mm/yy) :  20 December 2009 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [ X ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  1 January 2010 
[   ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments: [ X ] Sixty days  from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or ( dd/mm/yy ):  22 September 2009 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] National Notification 
Authority, [   ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:   sps@ec.europa.eu 
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National Notification Authority, [   ] National Enquiry 
Point.  Address, fax number and E-ma il address (if available) of other body:  
sps@ec.europa.eu