WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/EEC/342 
23 June 2009 
 (09-3066) 
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):  Table eggs (HS Code 0407) 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[   ] All trading partners, or 
[ X ] Specific regions or countries:  All Member States and all third countries which 
have an EU approved Salmonella  control programme for flocks of laying hens, being (on 
1  June 2009) only Croatia  
5. Title of the notified document:  Draft "Commission Regulation extending the special 
guarantees concerning Salmonella  spp. laid down in Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council to eggs intended for Denmark" (Document 
SANCO/3681/2008 rev.1)  Language:  English  Number of pages:  5 
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2009/sps/EEC/09_2173_00_e.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The draft Regulation grants special guarantees to Denmark for 
Salmonella  in table eggs.  In the past, special guarantees on Salmonella  have been granted 
for certain foodstuffs to Finland and Sweden at  their accession to the EU.  In line with the 
provisions in Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No  853/2004 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council of 29 April 2009 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin, the special guarantees may be extended, in whole or in part, to any Member States, or any 
region of a Member State, that has a contro l programme recognized as equivalent to that 
approved for Sweden and Finland in respect of the food of animal origin concerned.  The 
Danish control programme for Salmonella  in flocks of laying hens has been recognized as 
equivalent to that approved for Sweden and Fi nland.  Therefore, Denmark may be granted 
special guarantees. G/SPS/N/EEC/342 
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   In accordance with the provisions in Article 10 of 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, equivalent guarantees on 
Salmonella  controls must be provided to be admi tted or retained on the list of third 
countries for table eggs e.g. by testing of floc ks of laying hens and by not placing on the 
market table eggs from flocks infected with Salmonella enteritis  or Salmonella 
typhimurium . 
The consequence of granting speci al guarantees to Denmark is that table eggs can not be 
exported to Denmark, if the flock is infected with any Salmonella  serotype.  
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?   
 [   ] Yes   [ X ] No 
 If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:  Control of all Salmonella  serotypes 
9. Other relevant documents and language(s ) in which these are available:   
− Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the Europ ean Parliament and of the Council of 
29 April 2009 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin. 
− Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of the Eur opean 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 1688/2005 of 14 October 2005 implementing 
Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council as 
regards special guarantees concerning Salm onella for consignments to Finland and 
Sweden of certain meat and 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:  [   ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  1 January 2010 
[   ] Trade facilitating measure   G/SPS/N/EEC/342 
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  12. Final date for comments: [ X ] Sixty days  from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or ( dd/mm/yy ):  22 August 2009 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] 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:  [   ] National Notification Authority, [   ] National Enquiry 
Point.  Address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:    
sps@ec.europa.eu