. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/N/JPN/300 
13 June 2012 
 (12-3107) 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Notifying Member:  JAPAN 
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO;  ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):   
 Corn (HS Code: 10.05) for feed 
 Cereal straw, hay, lucerne (alfalfa), cl over and other forage products (HS Codes: 
12.13, 12.14) for feed 
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:  Amendments of the Enforcement Ordinance of the 
Standards of Feed and Feed Additives (ame ndment of agricultural chemical residue 
standard)    Language(s):     Number of pages:    
6. Description of content:  Japan proposes maximum residue limits (MRLs) for imidacloprid 
as follows: 
Commodity   Proposed MRL (ppm(wt)) Current MRL (ppm(wt)) 
Corn grain , including  
  field corn   0.05    0.1  
Hay, including fodder,  
  straw and silage  0.5    6 
7. Objective and rationale:  [X] food safety, [ ] 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)   
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)    G/SPS/N/JPN/300 
Page 2  
 
  [ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    
[ ] None 
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
 [ ] Yes   [X] No 
 If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:  The proposed MRL for imidacloprid in hay does not conform to 
the Codex MRL in fodder/straw of barley, wheat, oats and rye. This is because the 
proposed MRL is exclusively for imidacloprid (i.e. its metabolites are not included) and set 
on a 90 per cent dry matter basis, while  th e Codex MRL is established for the sum of 
imidacloprid and its metabolites containing the 6-chloropyridinyl moiety and set on a 100% 
dry matter basis. 
Commodity  Proposed MRL by Japan  (ppm)  Codex MRL (ppm) 
H a y    5      1  
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:  These 
amendments are to be published in "KANPO" (Official Government Gazette) when adopted 
(available in Japanese). 
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) :  As soon as possible after the final date for the 
comment period 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) :  As soon as possible after the final date for the 
comment period 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [X] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :    
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments:  [X] Sixty days  from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) :  12 August 2012 
Agency or authority designated to handl e comments:  [ ] National Notification 
Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if 
available) of other body:    
13. Texts available from:  [ ] National Notification  Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point.  
Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:    
Standards Information Service  
International Trade Division 
Economic Affairs Bureau 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2-2-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-8919, Japan  Tel:  +(81 3) 5501 8344  
Fax:  +(81 3) 5501 8343  
E-mail:  enquiry@mofa.go.jp