. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/N/USA/2222/Add.1 
19 January 2012  
 (12-0335) 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
Addendum 
  
The following communication, received on 16 January 2012, is being circulated at the request 
of the Delegation of the United States. 
 
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Final Rule:  Lists of Regions Classified With Respect to Certain Animal Diseases and States 
Approved To Receive Certain Importe d Horses (Docket No. APHIS-2009-0035) 
 The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Serv ice is advising removing lists of regions 
classified with respect to certain animal diseases a nd pests, and lists of States approved to receive 
horses imported from foreign regions where contag ious equine metritis (CEM) exists, from our 
animal and animal product import regulations.  Inst ead, the lists will be posted on the Animal and 
Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS') websit e. The regulations will provide the Web address and 
explain APHIS' criteria and processes for adding a regi on or a State to, or removing a region or State 
from, each of the lists.  Because the lists will no longer be in the Code of Federal Regulations, 
changing the lists will no longer require rulemaking.  We will keep the public informed of changes to 
the lists and provide opportunity for public comment  through publications in the Federal Register.  
This rule will enable APHIS to more quickly recogni ze changes in the disease or pest status of foreign 
regions and approve States to receive horses from foreign regions where CEM exists.  This rulemaking does not change the technical criteria APHIS uses to evaluate whether a foreign region 
should be added to or removed from a list or the criteria for approving a State to receive horses imported from foreign regions where CEM exists. 
 This notice is available in English at:  
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docum entDetail;D=APHIS-2009-0035-0002 . 
 This action is subsequent to a notice publis hed in the Federal Register on 1 June 2011 
(Docket No. APHIS-2009-0035, 76 FR 31499-31507), in which we announced a proposed rule to 
remove the lists of States approved to receive stalli ons or mares from regions affected with CEM, the 
lists of countries in the APHIS-defined European C SF region, and most of the other lists of regions 
from parts 93, 94, and 98 and instead post them to APHIS' website.  We proposed to include in the 
regulations the Web address for the lists;  a contact for requesting copies of the lists by mail, fax, or 
email;  and APHIS' process foradding or removing a St ate or foreign region to or from the lists.  We 
did not propose to change the technical criteria AP HIS uses to evaluate whether a foreign region 
should be added to or removed from a list, or the co nditions States must meet in order to be approved 
to receive stallions or mares from regions affected with CEM.   Because the lists would no longer be 
in the Code of Federal Regulations, changes to th e lists would no longer have to be made through 
rulemaking.  We proposed to keep the public info rmed and provide opportunity for public comment 
on changes to the lists through notices published in  the Federal Register.  The proposed action was G/SPS/N/USA/2222/Add.1 
Page 2  
 
  intended to allow more timely changes to the lists, while continuing to provide opportunity for public 
comment.   We solicited comments concerning our proposal for 60 days ending 1 August 2011. We did not receive any comments.  Therefore, for the reasons given in the proposed rule, we are adopting 
the proposed rule as a final rule, without change. 
 This rule is effective 9 February 2012. This addendum concerns a: 
[ ] Modification of final date for comments 
[X] Notification of adoption, publication or entry into force of regulation 
[ ] Modification of content and/or scope of previously notified draft regulation 
[ ] Withdrawal of proposed regulation 
[ ] Change in proposed date of adoption, publication or date of entry into force 
[ ] Other:    
Comment period:  (If the addendum extends the scope of th e previously notified measure in terms 
of products and/or potentially affected Members, a new deadline for receipt of comments should be 
provided, normally of at least 60 calendar days.  Under other circumstances, such as extension of 
originally announced final date for comments, th e comment period provided in the addendum may 
vary.)  
[ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the addendum to the notification and/or 
(dd/mm/yy) :  Not applicable 
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: 
For further information contact:  Dr. Laurel Voel ker, Regional Evaluation Se rvices--Import, National 
Center for Import and Export, VS, APHIS, 920 Main  Campus Drive, Suite 150, Raleigh, NC 27606; 
+1 (919) 855-7736.  
Text available from:  [X] National Notification Au thority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, 
fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body: 
United States SPS National Notification Authority, US DA Foreign Agricultural Service, International 
Regulations and Standards Division (IRSD), Stop 1014, Washington D.C. 20250;  Tel:  +1 (202) 720 1301;  Fax:  +1 (202) 720 0433;  E-ma il:  us.spsenquirypoint@fas.usda.gov  
 
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