. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/AUS/261 
14 April 2011  
 (11-1905) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES 
 
1. Notifying Member:  AUSTRALIA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:     
2. Agency responsible:  Food Standards Australia New Z ealand/Department of Agriculture, 
Fisheries and Forestry 
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):  Seaweed, fresh and frozen seafood (excl uding fish based pastes and sauces), 
milk and milk products a nd fresh fruit and vegetables 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[ ] All trading partners   
[X] Specific regions or countries:  Japan  
5. Title of the notified document:  Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service Imported 
Food Notice 05/11  Language(s):  English  Number of pages:  3 
http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/import/food/notices/2009/2011/ifn-05-11  
6. Description of content:  Testing of some Japanese food imports for radionuclides. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [X] food safety, [ ] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from other damage from pests.    
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reason for urgent action:  Due to damage to the 
Fukushima nuclear facility in Japan, Food St andards Australia New Zealand advised the 
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Servi ce to institute, as an emergency measure, 
additional import testing requirements on fresh , frozen and dried seaweed, fresh, frozen and 
dried seafood (excluding fish based pastes and sauces), fresh and dried milk and milk 
products, fresh, frozen and dried fruit, and fr esh, frozen and dried vegetables sourced from 
the following five prefectures in Japan:  Fukus hima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Chiba. 
For fresh, frozen and dried vegetable imports only, additional import testing requirements 
also extend to products sourced from the prefectures of Kanawaga, Miyagi, Nagano, 
Niigata, Saitama, Shizuoka, Tokyo and Yamagata.  G/SPS/N/AUS/261 
Page 2  
 
  9. Is there a relevant international standard ?  If so, identify the standard:  
[X] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial number of Codex standard 
or related text) Codex general standard for contam inants and toxins in food and 
feed - Codex, Standard 193-1995 
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)   
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)   
[ ] None Does this proposed regulation conform to  the relevant international standard? 
 [X] Yes   [ ] No 
 If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:    
10. Other relevant documents and langua ge(s) in which these are available:       
11. Date of entry into force ( dd/mm/yy )/period of application (as applicable):  
12 April 2011  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Agency or authority designated to handl e comments:  [ ] National Notification 
Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if 
available) of other body:   
Australian SPS Contact Point  
Trade and Market Access Division 
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry 
GPO Box 858 Canberra Act 2601 Australia Fax:  +(61 2) 6272 3678 
E-mail:  sps.contact@daff.gov.au 
13. Texts available from:  [ ] National Notification Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point.  
Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:   
Australian SPS Contact Point 
Trade and Market Access Division Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry GPO Box 858 
Canberra Act 2601 
Australia Fax:  +(61 2) 6272 3678 E-mail:  sps.contact@daff.gov.au Website:  http://www.daff.gov.au/ba