. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/TPKM/64 
31 October 2005 
 (05-5039) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  THE SEPARATE CUSTOMS TERRITORY OF 
TAIWAN, PENGHU, KINMEN AND MATSU  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Finance  
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):  Alcohol products  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable:  
Regions or countries producing alcohol products.  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Draft of the Amended 
Hygiene Standards for Alcohol Products (2 pages in Chinese, English translation available).  
6. Description of content:   
Alcohol products that meet national hygiene standards are permitted to be imported.  
Alcohol products are inspected according to  the alcohol hygiene standards published by 
the relevant health authority.  The current hy giene standards for alcohol products are as 
follows: 
Methanol content:  
For grape wine:  below 3000 mg/L (100% ethyl alcohol). For other alcohol products:  below 1000 mg/L (100% ethyl alcohol).  
Lead content:  
Below 0.3mg/L. 
Sulfur dioxide residue limits: 
For alcohol products made from fruits:  below 0.25g/kg 
For beer or alcohol products made from cereal:  below 0.03g/kg 
The content of methanol prescribed in Article 2 of the Hygiene Standards for Alcohol 
Products will be amended as follows: 
For fruit wine and brandy:  below 2000 mg/L (100% ethyl alcohol). 
For beer, fermented cereal beverages, other fermented beverages, whisky, clear spirits, 
rice spirits, other distilled spirits, cooking  wine, potable ethyl alcohol:  below 
1000 mg/L (100% ethyl alcohol). 
Moreover, the other two hygiene requirements for alcohol products, as for lead and sulfur 
dioxide residue limits, are not amended.  Th e provisions on the methanol content will come 
into force 6 months after the announcement of  the amended Hygiene Standards for Alcohol 
Products.  The lead and sulfur dioxide residue contents of alcohol products are prescribed in 
Article 3 and Article 4 of the said Standards.  G/SPS/N/TPKM/64 
Page 2  
 
 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. International standard, guideline or recommendation: 
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention,  [ X ] None 
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:   
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Draft of the 
Amended Hygiene Standards for Alcohol Products  (2 pages in Chinese, English translation 
available).  
10. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined  
12. Final date for comments:  60 days from the circulation date  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification 
authority, [   ] National enquiry point,  or address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:   
Ministry of Finance 
3F, 2 Ai Kuo West Road, Taipei, 100, Taiwan 
Telephone:  (886-2) 2322-8000 ext.7443 
Fax:  (886-2) 2357-8380 E-mail:  mavis@mail.nta.gov.tw
 
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National noti fication authority, [ X ] National enquiry 
point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:   
Bureau of Animal and Plant He alth Inspection and Quarantine 
9F, 51 Chung Ching S. Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei 
100 Taiwan 
Tel:  +886 2 2343 1401 Fax:  +886 2 2343 1400 E-mail:  wtosps@mail.baphiq.gov.tw