. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/ARE/7 
8 July 2005 
 (05-3042) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved: 
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) 
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):  Ban importation of palm  trees and seedlings. 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable:  
Countries which proved infected by lethal yellowing disease, Bayoud disease and palm red 
weevil.  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   Ministerial Decree  
Number (40) of the year 2005 on the Amendment of the Ministerial Decree Number (39) of the year 1991 on ban the importa tion of date palm trees, coconut trees and the ornamental 
palm trees and their offshoots to the United Ar ab Emirates (Available in English, 3 pages). 
6. Description of content:   
 It is impermissible to import date palm trees and their offshoots, coconut trees and 
the ornamental palm trees from the countri es which reported the infection of Bayoud 
disease and lethal yellowing disease as well as any plant proved to be natural 
contagious or host of the above diseases. 
 It is also impermissible to import date palm trees and their offshoots, coconut trees 
and the ornamental palm trees from any count ry which reported the infection of palm 
red weevil, as well as plants proved to be  natural contagious or host of the above 
diseases. 
 The following shall be excluded from the provisions of this decree: 
1. All imported tissue cultured seedlings and date palm offshoots from the main source 
or the functioning laboratories in the same field. 
2. Stemless seedlings, or whose diameter exceed 5 cm and in all cases they shall be 
proved free from palm red weevil. 
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 
8. International standard, guideline or recommendation:  
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [ X ] International Plant Protection Convention, [   ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:    G/SPS/N/ARE/7 
Page 2  
 
 9. Relevant documents and language(s ) in which thes e are available:  Available in Arabic 
and English 
10. Proposed date of adoption:   12 February 2005 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   12 February 2005 
12. Final date for comments:   
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification 
authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, or  address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:    
En. Mohamed Moussa Abdallah 
Director of Protection & Plant Quarantine 
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries P.O. Box 1509 United Arab Emirates - Dubai Tel:  +971 4 29 57650 
 +971 4 202 6634 
Fax:  +971 4 2945994  Mobile:  +971 50 6342226 
E-mail:  plant.maf@uae.gov.ae
 
Website:  http://www.uae.gov.ae/uaeagricent/  
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notificati on authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: 
En. Mohamed Moussa Abdallah 
Director of Protection & Plant Quarantine Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries P.O. Box 1509 United Arab Emirates - Dubai 
Tel:  +971 4 29 57650 
 +971 4 202 6634 Fax:  +971 4 2945994  Mobile:  +971 50 6342226 
E-mail:  plant.maf@uae.gov.ae
 
Website:  http://www.uae.gov.ae/uaeagricent/  
in English 
http://www.uae.gov.ae/uaeagricent/RULES_ REGULATIONS/agri_rules_e.stm  
in Arabic http://www.uae.gov.ae/uaeagricent/RUL ES_REGULATIONS/agri_rules.stm