. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/CAN/239 
3 March 2005 
 (05-0925) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English/ 
 French 
 
 
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   CANADA  
If applicable, name of local government involved: 
2. Agency responsible:   Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) 
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):  Weed Seeds (ICS: 65.020) 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  not 
stated  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   Proposed Weed Seeds 
Order, 2005 (available in English and French;  pages 555-561) 
6. Description of content:   
The Weed Seeds Order  (WSO) is a Ministerial Order made under the Seeds Act  and is an 
integral part of the seed standards of Canada .  The purpose of the WSO is to identify the 
species of plants classified  as weed seeds for the purpose of establishing grades under the 
Seeds Act .  
Weeds are classified according to the seriousn ess of the effects that they may have in 
agricultural production systems if found in seed.  The number of weed seeds of each class 
permitted in the different grades of seed  is specified in Schedule I of the Seeds Regulations . 
Six classes of weeds are included in the WSO.  
Class 1 - Prohibited Noxious (Applicable to all tables of Schedule I to the Seeds 
Regulations )  
Class 2 - Primary Noxious (Applicable to all tables of Schedule I to the Seeds Regulations  
except Tables XIV and XV)  
Class 3 - Secondary Noxious (Applicable to all tables of Schedule I to the Seeds 
Regulations  except Tables XIV and XV)  
Class 4 - Secondary Noxious (Applicable to Table XII of Schedule I to the Seeds 
Regulations )  
Class 5 - Secondary Noxious (Applicable to Tables XIV and XV of Schedule I to the Seeds 
Regulations )  
Class 6 - Seeds of all other plants not listed as crop kinds in Schedule I to the Seeds 
Regulations .  
Amendments are necessary to respond to new weed problems and to reclassify those 
species that are no longer a problem.   G/SPS/N/CAN/239 
Page 2  
 
 7. Objective and rationale:  [   ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [ X ] 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, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [ X ] 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:  Canada Gazette, Part 
I, 26 February 2005 (available in English and French) 
10. Proposed date of adoption:   Normally within 5 to 8 mont hs of publication in the Canada 
Gazette, Part I. 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   1 July 2005 
12. Final date for comments:  12 May 2005 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification 
authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, or  address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:    
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notificati on authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: 
The electronic version of the regulat ory text can be downloaded at: 
http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2005/20050226/pdf/g1-13909.pdf