. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/1187 
21 December 2005 
 (05-6221) 
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:  US Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service  
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):  Nursery stock  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  Canary 
Islands, Canada, and Israel  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   Importation of Nursery 
Stock, Proposed Rule (Available in English, 21 pages)  
6. Description of content:  The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is 
proposing to amend the regulations on impor ting nursery stock to eliminate various 
restrictions on the importation of plants in vitro and kenaf seed; to establish programs for 
the importation of approved plants from the Ca nary Islands and from Israel; to require an 
additional declaration on the phytosanitary certificate accompanying blueberry plants 
imported from Canada; and to require that ph ytosanitary certificates include the genus and 
species names of restricted articles they accompan y;  to change the phytosanitary certificate 
requirements for several restricted articles; to reduce the postentry quarantine growing period for Hydrangea spp.; and for certain chry santhemums; and to update the list of ports 
of entry and Federal plant inspection stati ons.  APHIS is also proposing several other 
changes to update and clarify the regulations and improve their effectiveness.  These 
changes are necessary to relieve restrictions  that appear unnecessary, update existing 
provisions, and make the regulations  easier to understand and implement.  
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:  Article 6 of the IPPC Requirements in relation 
to Imports  G/SPS/N/USA/1187 
Page 2  
 
 9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Federal Register: 
15 December 2005 (Volume 70, Number 240) Pages 74215-74235 (Available in English)  
10. Proposed date of adoption:  TBA 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  TBA 
12. Final date for comments:  13 February 2006, please refer to Docket 03-002-1  
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:   
Ms. Lashonda McLeod, Acting Unit ed States SPS Enquiry Point Officer, Food Safety and 
Technical Services Division, USDA/ Foreign Agricultural Service Tel: 202 720-5683, Fax: 
202 202 690-0677, E-mail: fstsd@fas.usda.gov  
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:   
Ms. Lashonda McLeod, Acting Unit ed States SPS Enquiry Point Officer, Food Safety and 
Technical Services Division, USDA/ Foreign Agricultural Service Tel: 202 720-5683, Fax: 202 202 690-0677, E-mail: fstsd@fas.usda.gov