. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/1769 
15 February 2008  
 (08-0681) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  UNITED STATES
  
If applicable, name of local government involved:     
2. Agency responsible:  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numb er(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):  Corn, sorghum 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable :  Any 
US trade partners 
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  PROPOSED RULE: 
2,4-D, Bensulide, DCPA, Desmedipham, Dime thoate, Fenamiphos, Phorate, Sethoxydim, 
Terbufos, and Tetrachlorvinphos; Proposed To lerance Actions (avail able in English, 
13 pages) 
6. Description of content:  Through this proposed rule:  
EPA proposes revising the tolerance expression to regulate the combin ed residues of the 
insecticide terbufos (phosphorod ithioic acid, S-(t-butylthio)methyl O,O-diethyl ester) and its 
phosphorylated (cholinesterase -inhibiting) metabolites (pho sphorothioic acid, S-(t-
butylthio)methyl O,O-diethyl ester; phosphorot hioic acid, S-(t-butylsulfinyl)methyl O,O-
diethyl ester; phosphorothioic acid, S-(t- butylsulfonyl)methyl O,O-diethyl ester; 
phosphorodithioic acid, S-(t-butylsulfinyl)met hyl O,O-diethyl ester; and phosphorodithioic 
acid, S-(t-butylsulfonyl)meth yl O,O- diethyl ester). 
EPA proposes revising the tolerances for the combined residues of terbufos and its 
cholinesterase-inhibiting metabolites from corn, grain to co rn, field, grain and corn, pop, 
grain; sorghum, forage to sorghum, grain, fora ge; and sorghum, grain to sorghum, grain, grain 
and removing corn, pop, forage. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [ X ] animal health,  [ X ] plant protection, 
[ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,  [   ] protect territory from other damage from pests    G/SPS/N/USA/1769 
Page 2  
 
  8. International standard, guideline or recommendation:  
[ X ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [   ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:  The proposed tolerance actions herein for 
terbufos, to implement the recommendations of  the terbufos RED, re flect different method 
levels of detection (LOD) where the LOD under  the Codex system is 0.01 ppm and the LOD 
under the US system is 0.05 ppm which resu lt in differing Codex levels on banana, 
corn/maize, popcorn, sugar beets, and sweet corn than the US tolerances.  Other differences in MRLs and tolerances be tween Codex and the United States exist for cereal grain straw, 
fodder and stover because some are measured on a dry weight basis versus a wet weight basis.  
Lastly, the Codex levels have changed since th e tolerance reassessment such that, currently 
none of the US tolerances and C odex tolerances are harmonized. 
9. Relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:   F e d e r a l  R e g i s t e r :   
6 February 2008 (Volume 73, Number 25) Proposed Rules Page 6867-6879; 
http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-P EST/2008/February/Day-06/p2094.htm  
10. Proposed date of adoption:  N/A 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  This is a proposed rule which may or may not result in 
further regulatory action. 
12. Final date for comments:  Comments must be received on or before 7 April 2008, and may 
be identified by docket number EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-0674. 
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: 
Registration Division, (7505P), Office of Pe sticide Programs, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001 
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notificati on authority, [   ] Na tional enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: 
United States SPS National Notification Aut hority, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, 
International Regulations and Standards Division (IRSD), Stop 1027, Washington D.C. 
20250;  Tel:  +(1 202) 720-1301;  Fa x:  +(1 202) 690-0677;  E-mail:  
us.spsenquirypoint@fas.usda.gov