. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/N/SGP/1/Add.1 
23 May 2012  
 (12-2718) 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES 
 
Addendum 
  
The following communication, received on 21 May 2 012, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of Singapore. 
 
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Certification on Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) - Withdrawal of "Six-year BSE Freedom" 
Certification  
 On 9 October 1997, the Primary Production De partment, Ministry of National Development, 
Singapore, the predecessor of the Agri-Food and Vete rinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), notified 
the WTO in notification G/SPS/N/SGP/1 of the certif ication requirement on BSE for bovine meat and 
meat products, offal and by-products imported into Singapore. 
 The certification requirement was for the expor ting country to have been free from BSE for 
six years prior to the date of slaughter of the bovi ne animals and the date of export of the product.  
The rationale for imposing the requirement was that  there was a possible link between BSE in cattle 
and a new variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease in human s and the long incubation period of five+ years 
for BSE. 
 Since 1997, there has been a development in  setting BSE-related guidelines in the World 
Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the intern ational standard-setting or ganization for guidelines 
related to animal health.  The OIE has established an  official system to classify regions according to 
BSE risk status.  The categories are Negligible BSE Risk, Controlled BSE Risk and Undetermined 
BSE Risk.  The classification takes into account th e release and exposure of risk assessments and the 
implemented measures, such as feed control and BSE surveillance.   
 Singapore is classified as Negligible BSE Risk  and the AVA has adopted a system that is 
consistent with the OIE, in allowing the impor t of bovine meat and products.  Singapore will 
recognize countries classified by the OIE as Negligible BSE Risk and will not place any import restrictions on bovine meat and product from these countries with respect to BSE.  In the case of 
countries that are classified Controlled BSE Ri sk and Undetermined BSE Risk, the AVA would 
evaluate their status based on information provided that is consistent with the OIE guidelines and on-
site inspection. 
 The AVA hereby notifies that the notification G/SPS/N/SGP/1 regarding the six-year freedom 
certification on Bovine Spongiform Ence phalopathy (BSE) has been withdrawn. G/SPS/N/SGP/1/Add.1 
Page 2  
 
  This addendum concerns a: 
[ ] Modification of final date for comments 
[ ] Modification of content and/or scope of previously notified draft regulation 
[X] Withdrawal of proposed regulation 
[ ] Change in period of application of measure 
[ ] Other:    
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ ] National Notification Authority, 
[ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax num ber and e-mail address (if available) of other 
body: 
   
Text available from:  [ ] National Notification Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, 
fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body: 
   
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