. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/AUS/182 
2 June 2005 
 (05-2260) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   AUSTRALIA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved: 
2. Agency responsible:   The Australian Government Depart ment of Agriculture, Fisheries and 
Forestry (DAFF) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):  Shipping containers entering Australia. 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  All 
countries identified in the Australian Quar antine and Inspection Service (AQIS) Giant 
African Snail Country Action List. 
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   Draft AQIS Giant 
African Snail (GAS) Country Action List  (available in English, 2 pages, AQIS webpage .) 
and Revision to the Draft AQIS GAS Country Ac tion List (available in English, 5 pages, 
sps.contact@daff.gov.au ).   
6. Description of content:  Shipping containers imported into Australia from GAS host 
countries pose a risk of contamination with GAS.  The AQIS GAS Country Action List has 
been reviewed to ensure that it reflects cu rrent GAS distribution patterns and the relative 
risk of GAS entering Australia.  Countries identified on the Draft AQIS GAS Country Action List may seek exemption by providing evid ence of pest free area status as per ISPM 
4 and ISPM 10.   
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:    
International Standards for Ph ytosanitary Measures Publica tion No.10 Requirements for the 
establishment of pest free places of produ ction and pest free production sites.   
International Standards for Phytosanitary M easures Publication No. 4 Requirements for the 
establishment of pest free areas. G/SPS/N/AUS/182 
Page 2  
 
 9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Draft AQIS Giant 
African Snail (GAS) Country Action Li st (available in English through AQIS webpage
) and 
Revision to the Draft AQIS GAS Country Ac tion List (available in English through 
sps.contact@daff.gov.au ).   
10. Proposed date of adoption:   29 August 2005 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   29 August 2005 
12. Final date for comments:  1 August 2005 
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:    
The Australian SPS Notification Point 
GPO Box 858 Canberra ACT 2601 Fax:  + (612) 6272 3678 
E-mail/Internet:  sps.contact@daff.gov.au
 
Website:  http://www.daff.gov.au  
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notificati on authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: 
The Australian SPS Notification Point 
GPO Box 858 Canberra ACT 2601 
Fax:  + (612) 6272 3678 
E-mail/Internet:  sps.contact@daff.gov.au
 
Website:  http://www.daff.gov.au