. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/684 
6 April 2006 
 (06-1624) 
Committee on Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Measures  Original:   French 
 
 
 
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SPS AGREEMENT 
 
Information for the Workshop on 31 March 2006  
 
Communication from Mauritania  
   The following communication, received on 31 Marc h 2006, is being circulated at the request 
of the delegation of Mauritania. 
 
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1. In preparation for the Workshop on the Implementation of the SPS Agreement, Members 
were asked to submit information on their experien ces with respect to the subjects to be discussed. 
2. At central level, the Directorates of Agricultu re and Livestock have participated in the 
following meetings: 
• Regional seminar at Cotonou from 14 to 16 May 2003;  and  
• Sub-regional JITAP workshop on SPS me asures from 13 to 16 September 2005. 
3. The Directorate of Foreign Trade Promotion, whic h is the reference centre at national level, 
informs us of SPS meetings and workshops.  
4. It is through these meetings th at we receive SPS information. 
5. There is no national SPS committee. 
6. At the moment exporters know little about SPS measures. However, as part of the 
dissemination of the Law on plant protection and its  enabling regulations, three workshops have been 
organized by the Directorate of Agriculture with  the support of the FAO, for the benefit of the 
Ministries concerned (Health, Trade, Finance, Tr ade Federation and Farmers' Federation.)  The 
SPS Agreement was briefly presented during these workshops. 
7. Through its two phytosanitary control offices the Directorate of Agriculture keeps in 
permanent contact with exporters and importers an d often informs them of the SPS requirements of 
trading partners. 
8. The legislation already notifie d to partners consists of: 
 - Law 042/2000 on plant protection;  - Decree No. 062/2002 implementing Law 042/2000; G/SPS/GEN/684 
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   - Ministry of Rural Development and the Environment (MDRE) Order No. 1248 
establishing a list of the plants and plant products barred from entry into the national 
territory; 
 - MDRE Order No. 1256 establishing a list of the plants and plant products the 
importation of which is subject to prior authorization or to phytosanitary certification; 
 - MDRE Order No. 1257 establishing a lis t of quarantine harmful organisms; 
 - Order No. 1350 issued by the MDRE, the Mi nistry of Finance (MF) and the Ministry 
of Trade, Crafts and Tourism (MCAT), est ablishing a list of points and border posts 
through which plants or plant products may enter or transit through the national 
territory; 
 - MDRE Order No. 1921 appointing the members of the Advisory Board for Plant 
Protection;  and 
 - MDRE Order No. 929 on the inspection of  material likely to carry the bayoud 
parasite along the Adrar road network to other regions. 
9. The mechanisms to be established so that the st akeholders are informed in a timely manner of 
the new requirements can be summarized as follows: 
- The national enquiry point must have th e necessary technology and equipment, and a 
clear and realistic communication strategy.  It must also work together with, in 
particular, the technical Directorates r esponsible for sanitary and phytosanitary 
measures; 
- a national SPS committee needs to be created as a first step.  It must include the 
technical departments (Ministries of Agricu lture, Trade, Health and Finance) and the 
private sector represented by occupational associations, the Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture. 
10. The information on SPS requirements must be analysed and provided in a way that is 
accessible to the group outside of capital.  
11. SPS Agreement implementation modalities have not yet been planned at national level.  Since 
no coordination has as yet been set up, each technical body establishes its own needs. 
12. As for phytosanitary technical assistance,  the most important priority areas are: 
- Constructing and equipping a plant pr otection laboratory covering entomology, 
phytopathology and nematology; 
- training horticultural staff; 
- training phytosanitary inspectors; 
- organizing specialized workshops;  and - introducing an efficient information system. 
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