. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/1868/Add.2 
12 January 2009  
 (09-0062) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
Addendum
 
  
The following communication, received on 7 January  2009, is being circulated at the request 
of the Delegation of the United States
. 
 
_______________  
  
Interim rule; Delay of effective date: Viral Hemorrh agic Septicemia; Intersta te Movement and Import 
Restrictions on Certain Live Fish (APHIS-2007-0038)  
 
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Se rvice (APHIS) of the US Department of 
Agriculture published an interim rule in the Fede ral Register on 9 September 2008 to restrict the 
interstate movement and importation into the United States of live fish that are susceptible to viral 
hemorrhagic septicemia, a highly contagious disease of  certain freshwater and saltwater fish.  That 
interim rule was scheduled to become ef fective on 10 November 2008. Subsequently, on 
28 October 2008, APHIS published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the delay of the 
effective date of the interim rule until 9 January 20 09.  APHIS is now delaying the effective date of 
the interim rule indefinitely to provide it with time  to make some adjustments to the interim rule that 
are necessary for the rule to be successfully implemented.    
This notice is available in English at: Fede ral Register: 2 January 2009 (Volume 74, Number 
1) Notices Page 1. To view online, go to http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/advanced.html
, select 2009 FR 
Vol. 74, and type "page 1" in searchbox (with quotation marks). 
 
 This action is subsequent to a notice publishe d in the Federal Register on 28 October 2008 
(73 FR Volume 73, Number 209, Page 63867, Docket No. APHIS–2007–0038), in which APHIS announced the delay of the effective date of the interim rule until 9 January 2009.  (To view this 
notice online, go to http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/advanced.html
, select 2008 FR Vol. 73, and type 
"63867" in searchbox (with  quotation marks)). 
 
This addendum concerns a: 
 
 [   ] Modification of final date for comments 
 [   ] Notification of adoption, publication or entry into force of regulation 
 [   ] Modification of content and/or sc ope of previously notified draft regulation 
 [   ] Withdrawal of proposed regulation  [ X ] Change in proposed date of adoption, publication or date of entry into force 
 [   ] Other:    G/SPS/N/USA/1868/Add.2 
Page 2  
 
  Comment period: (If the addendum extends the scope of th e previously notified measure in terms 
of products and/or potentially affected Members, a new deadline for receipt of comments should be 
provided, normally of at least 60 calendar days.  Under other circumstances, such as extension of 
originally announced final date for comments, th e comment period provided in the Addendum may 
vary.)  
 [   ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the addendum to the notification and/or 
(dd/mm/yy) :  Not applicable 
 
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
: 
 
For further information contact: Dr. P. Gary Egrie, Senior Staff Veterinary Medical Officer, National Center for Animal Health Programs, VS, APHIS,  4700 River Road, Unit 46, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1231; +1 (301) 734-0695; or Dr. Peter L. Merrill, Senior  Staff Veterinarian, Nati onal Center for Import 
and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit  39, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; +(1 301) 734-8364  
 
Text available from:  [   ] National  Notification Authority, [   ] Na tional Enquiry Point.  Address, 
fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body
: 
 
United States SPS National Notific ation Authority, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, International 
Regulations and Standards Divisi on (IRSD), Stop 1027, Washington D.C. 20250;  Tel:  +(1 202) 720 
1301;  Fax:  +(1 202) 720 0433;  E-ma il:  us.spsenquirypoint@fas.usda.gov 
 
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