WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/EEC/306 
8 May 2007 
 (07-1906) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  Commission of the European Co mmunities. Health & Consumer 
Protection Directorate-General Directorate D – Animal Health and Welfare 
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):   Breeding or productive poultry other than ratites, day-old chicks other than of 
ratites, and hatching eggs of poultr y other than ratites (HS 0105, 0407)  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable:  
Australia, Brazil,  Canada, Chile, Croatia, Israel, New Zealand, Tunisia, the United States 
and the member States (MS) of the European Communities (EC) 
5. Title, language and number of pa ges of the notified document:  Draft Commission 
Decision concerning approval of Salmonella control programmes in breeding flocks of 
Gallus gallus  in certain third countries in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 
and amending Decision 2006/696/EC, as regards certain public health requirements at 
import of poultry and hatching eggs  (SANCO/582/2007 Rev5, 23 pages) 
6. Description of content:  This proposal approves the programmes submitted by Canada, 
Israel, Tunisia and the United States for control of Salmonella  spp. in breeding flocks of 
Gallus gallus  and sets model veterinary certificates.  It prohibits the import of live poultry 
of G. gallus  intended for breeding purposes and impor t of hatching eggs from Australia, 
Brazil, Chile, Croatia and New Zealand. 
Background:  Commission Decision 2006/696/EC  implements certain risk management 
measures set out by Regulation 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
29 April 2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin  and Regulation 
854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down 
specific rules for the organisation of official c ontrols on products of animal origin intended 
for human consumption  notified in G/SPS/N/EEC/94 and on its addenda 2 and 3 
(7 June 2004) and lays down a list of thir d countries from which poultry, hatching eggs, 
day-old chicks, meat of poultry, ratites and wild game-birds, eggs and egg products and 
specified pathogen-free eggs may be importe d into and transit through the European 
Communities and the applicable vete rinary certification conditions.  G/SPS/N/EEC/306 
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   Regulation 2160/2003 of the European Parliame nt and of the Council of 17 November 2003 
on the control of salmonella and oth er specified food-borne zoonotic agents  notified in 
G/SPS/N/EEC/144 (20 November 2001) and its a ddendum 2 (01 June 2004) establish that: 
• Since 1 January 2007 flocks of Gallus gallus  cannot be used for breeding purposes 
and their eggs cannot be used  as hatching eggs in the European Communities if they 
are infected with S. Enteritidis  and/or S. Typhimurium  and imports of breeding 
poultry, day-old chicks intended for breedi ng and hatching eggs are only authorized 
if the flocks of origin where tested and free of S. Enteritidis  and S. Typhimurium.  
• Admission to or retention on the lists of third countries from which EC member 
States are authorized to import is subjec t to the submission to the Commission by 
the third country concerned of a progr amme equivalent to national control 
programmes for Salmonella and its approval by the Commission.  
As a consequence of the approval of the Salmonella  control programmes submitted by 
Canada, Israel, Tunisia and the United States, these countries remain on the list while other 
third countries that have not yet submitte d any control programme will no longer be 
authorized.  Changes in the certificates con cern the certification that the approved control 
programme is applied on the flock of origin.  The changes anticipate the future approval of 
control programmes for poultry of Gallus gallus  intended for egg or meat production.  
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. International standard, guideline or recommendation: 
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [ X ] 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:   
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:   
Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of the Eur opean Parliament and of the Council of 
17 November 2003 on the control of salmonella and other specified food-borne zoonotic agents  (OJ L 325, 12.12.2003). A consolidated version (reference date: July 2005) is 
available from 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/e n/consleg/2003/R/020 03R2160-20050701-en.pdf   
Commission Decision 2006/696/EC of 28 August 2006 laying down a list of third countries 
from which poultry, hatching e ggs, day-old chicks, meat of poultry, ratites and wild game-
birds, eggs and egg products  and specified pathogen-free eggs  may be imported into and 
transit through the Community and the applic able veterinary certification conditions, and 
amending Decisions 93/342/EEC, 2000/585/EC and 2003/812/EC  (OJ L 295, 25.10.2006, 
p. 1–76) Available from 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/e n/oj/2006/l_295/l_295 20061025en00010076.pdf  
10. Proposed date of adoption:  October 2007 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  Two months after the day following that of its 
publication in the Official Journal of the European Union  
12. Final date for comments:  Sixty (60) days after the date of notification  G/SPS/N/EEC/306 
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  Agency or authority designated to handle co mments:  [ X ] EC notification authority, 
[   ] National enquiry point, or address,  fax number and E-mail address (if available) 
of other body:   
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notification authority, [ X ] EC enquiry point, or 
address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: