WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/N/USA/2340 
30 March 2012  
 (12-1694) 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES 
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the US 
Department of Agriculture 
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):  Bovines and bovine products 
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:  Proposed Rule: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy; 
Importation of Bovines and Bovine Products  Language(s):  English  Number of 
pages:  66 
 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-03-16/pdf/2012-6151.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is 
proposing to revise the conditions for the impor tation of live bovines and products derived 
from bovines with regard to bovine spongi form encephalopathy (BSE).  Under the 
proposed rule, APHIS would adopt the same criteria and categories that the World 
Organization for Animal Health (OIE) uses to identify a country's BSE risk status--negligible, controlled, and undetermined risk .  APHIS would base its import policy for a 
particular country on that country's risk classification as determined by OIE's risk 
evaluation.  The rule would also allow APHI S to conduct its own assessment when deemed 
necessary, such as when a country is not yet cl assified by the OIE for BSE risk and requests 
that APHIS conduct a risk evaluation using criteria equivalent to that used by OIE.  All countries would be considered by APHIS to  have an undetermined BSE risk unless 
officially recognized as either negligible or controlled risk. 
Federal Register:  16 March 2012, Volu me 77, Number 52, Pages 15848-15913 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ ] food safety, [X] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from other damage from pests.    G/SPS/N/USA/2340 
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  8. Is there a relevant international stan dard?  If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex standard 
or related text)   
[X] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)    
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    
[ ] 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:      
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 
[X] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments:  [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the notification 
and/or (dd/mm/yy) :  We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
15 May 2012. 
Agency or authority designated to handl e comments:  [ ] National Notification 
Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:   
You may submit comments by either of the following methods: Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docum entDetail;D=APHIS-2008-0010-0001 . 
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your  comment to Docket No. APHIS-2008-0010, 
Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, AP HIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road 
Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. 
Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may be viewed at 
http://www.regulations.gov/#! docketDetail;D=APHIS-2008-0010 . 
For further information contact:  For information concerning live ruminants, contact 
Dr. Betzaida Lopez, Import Animal Staff Veterinarian, Technical Trade Services, Animals, 
Organisms and Vectors, and Select Agents, National Center for Import and Export, VS, 
APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 39, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; +1 (301) 851-3364. 
For information regarding ruminant products and for other information regarding this 
proposed rule, contact Dr. Christopher Robinson, Assistant Director, Technical Trade Services, Animal Products, National Center for Import and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; +1 (301) 734-3277.  G/SPS/N/USA/2340 
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  13. Texts available from:  [X] National Notification Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  
Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:   United States 
SPS National Notification Authority, USDA Fore ign Agricultural Service, International 
Regulations and Standards Division (IRSD), St op 1014, Washington D.C. 20250;  Tel:  +1 
(202) 720 1301;  Fax:  + 1 (202) 720 0433;   E-mail:  us.spsenquirypoint@fas.usda.gov