. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/NZL/430 
31 July 2009  
 (09-3730) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
 
 
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Notifying Member:  NEW ZEALAND  
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  MAF Biosecurity New Zealand 
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):  Cell cultures 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[ X ] All trading partners, or [   ] Specific regions or countries:    
5. Title of the notified document:  Import Health Standard for Cell Cultures from all 
Countries  Language:  English  Number of pages:  10 
6. Description of content:  Presently, "authority to import" cell cultures, is given without a 
specific Import Health Standard (IHS), by the issuing of a permit to import. Section 22 of 
the Biosecurity Act states that such considerati ons should be based on an IHS.  In addition, 
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand policy is that IH S's should be based on a risk analysis and 
no risk analysis had been done for this range of goods. 
This IHS is based on the Import Risk Analysis:  Non-viable Biological Products, Micro-
organisms and other Viable cells into Ne w Zealand (December 2005) and have been 
externally consulted in December 2006.  This  IHS was not issued after completion because 
Facility Standards needed to developed or upda ted before it could be issued.  These facility 
changes have now been finalised.  
Before it was recommended for issue, it was upda ted to align with current procedures for 
the issuing of permits for cell cultures and othe r IHS's.  This IHS therefore does not suggest 
any major changes to the current pro cedures for the import of cell cultures. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [   ] food safety, [ X ] animal health, [ X ] plant protection, 
[ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ X ] protect territory from other damage from pests.    G/SPS/N/NZL/430 
Page 2  
 
  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)    
[   ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)     
[   ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM N°)     
[ X ] None Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
 [   ] 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:  Import Risk 
Analysis:  Non-Viable Biological Products, Mi cro-organisms and Other Viable Cells into 
New Zealand (available in English) 
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) :  28 July 2009 
Propose date of publication ( dd/mm/yy) :  28 July 2009 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [   ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  As the implementation of th is import health standard is trade-facilitating it is 
anticipated that the import health standard will be issued at the time of this notification. 
[ X ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments: [   ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or ( dd/mm/yy ):  New Zealand will still take any comments into account 
and amend the import health  standard if necessary. 
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:     
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National Notification Authority, [   ] National Enquiry 
Point.  Address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: