. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/1355 
26 July 2006 
 (06-3601) 
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 number(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):  Terrestrial food, feed, and non-food crops, greenhouse, non-food crops, and 
outdoor plants.  
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:  Notice.   Ethepon; 
Tolerance Reassessment Decision for Low Risk Pesticide; Notice of Availability (Available 
in English, 2 pages).  
6. Description of content:  This notice announces the availability of EPA's Tolerance 
Reassessment Decision (TRED) for the pes ticide ethephon, and opens a public comment 
period on this document, related risk assessments, and other support documents. 
Ethephon (an organophosp honate) is a plant growth regulator.  It regulates phases of plant 
growth and development by application at vari ous growth stages and sites.  Ethephon is 
used to promote fruit ripening, abscission, flower induction, breaking of apical dominance (inhibition of the growth of lateral buds by the terminal bud of a shoot), and other plant 
responses.  Ethephon is registered on a number of terrestrial food, feed, and non-food crops, 
greenhouse non-food crops, and outdoor plants.  
7. Objective and rationale: [ X ] food safety,  [   ] animal health, [ X ] plant protection, 
[ X ] 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: 
28 June 2006 (Volume 71, Number 124, Page:  36771 - 36773),  http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA -PEST/2006/June/Day-28/p5854.htm  
Available in English.  G/SPS/N/USA/1355 
Page 2  
 
  10. Proposed date of adoption:  Not specified  
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  N/A - This is a notice of availability and may or may 
not result in a future regulatory action.  A notice invites the public to submit additional scientific information and comments to the Agency.  
12. Final date for comments:  Comments should be received on or before 28 August 2006.  
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:  Special Review and Re-registrati on Division (7508P), Office of 
Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001  
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:   
Ms Deborah Thompson, United States SPS National Notification Authority, USDA Foreign 
Agricultural Service, Food Safety & Technical Services Division, Stop 1027, Washington D.C. 20250.  Tel:  202-720-4051;  Fax:  202-690-0677;  Email:  fstsd@fas.usda.gov