. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/1383 
17 August 2006 
 (06-3916) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  UNITED STATES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:  N/A 
2. Agency responsible:  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture  
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):  Swine hides and skins, bird trophies, and ruminant hides and skins  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  All 
trading partners.  
5. Title, language and number of p ages of the notified document:  Importation of Swine 
Hides and Skins, Bird Trophies, and Ruminant Hides and Skins, (available in English, 6 pages).  
6. Description of content:  The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is 
proposing to amend the regulati ons governing the importation of animal by-products to 
require that untanned swine hides and skins fro m regions with African swine fever and bird 
trophies from regions with exotic Newcas tle disease go directly to an approved 
establishment upon importation into the United States.  APHIS would also set out certain requirements for the importation of untanned bo vine, deer, and other ruminant hides and 
skins into the United States from Mexico to pr event the spread of bovine babesiosis.  These 
proposed requirements would provide for the importation of these articles under conditions 
intended to prevent the introduction of African swine fever, bovine babesiosis, and exotic 
Newcastle disease.  
7. Objective and rationale: [   ] food safety, [ X ] animal health, [   ] 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), [   ] 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:  Federal Register: 
4 August 2006 (Volume 71, Number 150), pages 44234-44239  G/SPS/N/USA/1383 
Page 2  
 
  10. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined  
12. Final date for comments:  3 October 2006  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] National notification 
authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:  Debbie Thompson, Acting United  States SPS Enquiry Point 
Officer, Food Safety and Technical Services Division, USDA/ Foreign Agricultural Service 
Telephone: 202 720-9124 Fax: 202 720-9124, fstsd@fas.usda.gov  
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notifi cation authority, [   ] National enquiry 
point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:   
Debbie Thompson, Acting United States SPS Enquiry Point Officer, Food Safety and 
Technical Services Division, USDA/ Foreign Agricultural Service Telephone: 202 720-9124 Fax: 202 720-9124, fstsd@fas.usda.gov