. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/EEC/359 
23 November 2009  
 (09-5800) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Notifying Member:  EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  Commission of the European Communities. Health & Consumers 
Directorate-General Directorate D - Animal Health and Welfare 
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):  Porcine semen (CN 05119985) 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[ ] All trading partners   
[X] Specific regions or countries:  Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, United States  
5. Title of the notified document:  "Draft Commission Decision of *** on importation of 
semen of domestic animals of the porcine sp ecies into the Community as regards lists of 
third countries and of semen collection cen tres, and certification requirements" 
Language:  English  Number of pages:  25 
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2009/sps/EEC/09_4052_00_e.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The purpose of this Decision is to modify the list of porcine 
semen collection centres as regards the entries for Canada and the United States; to take 
account of a new simplified procedure of listi ng and publishing the list of porcine semen 
collection centres introduced by the provisions of Directive 2008/73/EC; to take account of 
the certification requirements for imports of porcine semen from Switzerland to the European Communities, established under the Agreement Between the European 
Communities and the Swiss Confederation on Tr ade in Agricultural Products; to present the 
certificate for imports of porcine semen to the European Communities in accordance with 
the standardized layout of veterinary certificates as set out in Commission Decision 
2007/240/EC, to align certain references in the model health certificate to the Terrestrial 
Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health. 
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. Is there a relevant international stan dard?  If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex standard 
or related text)   G/SPS/N/EEC/359 
Page 2  
 
  [X] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)  Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the OIE  
[ ] 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:    
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:  "Council 
Directive 90/429/EEC of 26 June 1990 laying down the animal health requirements applicable to intra-Community trade in and imports of semen of domestic animals of the 
porcine species" (OJ L 224, 18/08/1990) in particul ar Article 7(1), Article 8(1), Article 9(2) 
and (3) and Article 10(2).   
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) :  15 December 2009 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) :  15-17 December 2009 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [X] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  15 December 2009.  However, Article 1(d) shall only apply from 
15 December 2009 to 31 December 2009.  
By way of derogation from Article 1(b), consignments of semen for which health 
certificates were issued before 31 May 2010 in  accordance with the models set out in 
Annex III and IV to Decision 2002/613/EC sh all be accepted for imports into the 
Community until 30 June 2010. 
[X] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments:  [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the notification 
and/or (dd/mm/yy) :  As a trade facilitation measure, comments are not expected.  
However, the European Communities welcom e any observation to the draft document. 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [X] National Notification 
Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if 
available) of other body:  sps@ec.europa.eu 
13. Texts available from:  [X] National Notification Authority, [X] National Enquiry 
Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:  
sps@ec.europa.eu