. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/1766 
11 February 2008  
 (08-0618) 
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):  Cucurbit, leafy vegetable, onion, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts 
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 Toleranc e Actions (available in English, 3 pages) 
6. Description of content:  In order to account for the instab ility of bensulide in/on cucurbits 
and leafy vegetables as evidenced in a non-concurrent storage stability study, the Agency has determined the tolerances should be increased from 0.1 to 0.15 ppm in/on vegetable, cucurbit 
group 9 and vegetable, leafy, exce pt brassica group 4. The Agency  is also revising commodity 
terminology to conform to cu rrent practice including removi ng the negligible residue 
designation (N) associated with the toleran ces. Therefore, EPA proposes increasing and 
revising the tolerances for the combined bensul ide residues of concern in/on cucurbits at 0.10 
(N) ppm to vegetable, cucurbit group 9 at 0.15; and vegetable, leafy at 0.1 (N) ppm to vegetable, leafy, except br assica group 4 at 0.15 ppm.  
Based on available field trial data  that indicate bensulide residu es of concern are less than 
0.15 ppm in/on the representative commodities (b roccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts) of 
the vegetable, brassica, leafy group 5, the Agen cy determined that the tolerance should be 
established for vegetable, br assica, leafy group 5 at 0.15 ppm. Therefore, EPA proposes 
establishing a tolerance for combined bensulide re sidues of concern in/on vegetable, brassica, 
leafy group 5 at 0.15 ppm. 
The Agency is revising commodity terminology to conform to current practice. Therefore, 
EPA proposes revising the tolerances from onion , dry bulb to onion, bulb; and vegetable, 
fruiting to vegetable, fruiting, gr oup 8.  The Agency determined that the increased tolerances 
are safe; i.e. there is a reasonable certainty th at no harm will result from aggregate exposure to 
the pesticide chemical residue. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [   ] 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/1766 
Page 2  
 
  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:   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