. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/N/USA/2360 
2 May 2012  
 (12-2325) 
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 U.S. 
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):  Fresh bananas 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[ ] All trading partners   
[X] Specific regions or countries:  Philippines  
5. Title of the notified document:  Proposed Rule: Importation of Fresh Bananas From the 
Philippines Into the Continental United States (Docket No. APHIS-2011-0028) Language(s):  English  Number of pages:  5 
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docum entDetail;D=APHIS-2011-0028-0001   
6. Description of content:  The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is 
proposing to amend the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to 
allow the importation of fresh bananas from the Philippines into the continental United 
States.  As a condition of entry, the bananas would have to be produced in accordance with 
a systems approach that would include requirements for importation of commercial 
consignments, monitoring of fruit flies to establish low-prevalence places of production, 
harvesting only of hard green bananas, and inspection for quarantine pests by the national 
plant protection organization of the Philippin es.  The bananas would also have to be 
accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that they 
were grown, packed, and inspected and found to be free of quarantin e pests in accordance 
with the proposed requirements.  This acti on would allow the importation of bananas from 
the Philippines while continuing to protect agai nst the introduction of plant pests into the 
United States.  Federal Register Volume 77, Number 73, Monday, 16 April 2012 (Pages 22510-22514) 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ ] food safety, [ ] animal health, [X] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from other damage from pests.    G/SPS/N/USA/2360 
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)    
[X] 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) :  15 June 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-2011-0028-0001   
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery:  Send y our comment to Docket No. APHIS-2011-0028, 
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-2011-0028   
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Ms. Meredith Jones, Regulatory 
Coordination Specialist, PPQ, RPM, RCC, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 39, Riverdale, 
MD 20737-1231;  Tel:  +1 (301) 851-2289. 
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),  Stop 1014, Washington D.C. 20250;   
Tel:  +1 (202) 720 1301;   
Fax:  + 1 (202) 720 0433;   
E-mail:   us.spsenquirypoint@fas.usda.gov