. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/1772 
15 February 2008  
 (08-0690) 
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):  Apple, cabbage, collards, grape, lentil, spinach, lettuce, turnip, sorghum, alfalfa, 
corn, soybean, cherry, wheat 
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 (available in English, 
13 pages) 
6. Description of content:  By means of this proposed rule:  
EPA proposes revoking the tolerances for the co mbined dimethoate residues of concern in/on 
apple at 2 ppm; cabbage at 2 pp m; collards at 2 ppm; grape at 1 ppm; lentil, seed at 2 ppm; 
and spinach at 2 ppm; and revi se lettuce to lettuce, leaf. 
EPA proposes decreasing the tolerance for the co mbined dimethoate residues of concern in/on 
turnip, roots from 2 ppm to 0.2 ppm. 
EPA proposes decreasing and revisi ng the tolerance for the combined dimethoate residues of 
concern from sorghum, forage at 0.2 ppm to  sorghum, grain, forage at 0.1 ppm and 
establishing a tolerance on sorghum, grain, stover at 0.1 ppm. 
EPA proposes revising the tolerances for the comb ined dimethoate residues of concern in/on 
alfalfa to alfalfa, forage and alfalfa, hay; fro m corn, forage to corn, field, forage and corn, 
sweet, forage; corn, grain to corn, field, grain and corn, pop, grain; corn, stover to corn, field, 
stover and corn, pop, stover; sorghum, grain to  sorghum, grain, grain; soybean to soybean, 
seed; and turnip, greens to turnip, tops; proposes  establishing a tolerance in/on wheat, forage 
at 2.0 ppm and proposes revising tolerances from cherry to cherry, sweet and cherry, tart and 
revising the reference of 180.1(n) to 180.1(m). 
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/1772 
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 Codex Alimentarius Commission has 
established separate ma ximum residue limits (MRLs) for dimethoate per se and omethoate 
per se in/on various commodities resulting from application of the insecticides dimethoate, 
formothion, and omethoate.  By contrast, the US tolerance expression is in terms of the 
combined residues of di methoate and omethoate, as a meta bolite.  Formothion and omethoate 
are not currently registered for use in the US.  Therefore, the Codex MRLs and US tolerances 
are not harmonized with respec t to MRL/tolerance expression. 
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