. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/DOM/2 
7 July 2006 
 (06-3276) 
Committee on Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  Departamento de Sanidad Vegeta l, Secretaría de Estado de 
Agricultura  (Department of Plant Health, Ministry of Agriculture) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):  Wood packaging material used in intern ational trade, including packing cases, 
boxes, crates, drums and similar packings, palle ts, box pallets and other load boards, and 
pallet collars, used for transporting objects of  all kinds, except raw wood of a thickness of 
less than 6mm, and wood processed or produced  by using glue, heat or pressure, or a 
combination thereof. 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  All 
Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO). 
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Manual de 
Procedimientos para la Aplicación de la  Norma No. 15 en la República Dominicana  
(Manual of Procedures for the Implementation of Standard No. 15 in the Dominican 
Republic) (in Spanish, 22 pages).   
 International Standard for Phytosanita ry Measures (ISPM) No. 15: Guidelines for 
regulating wood packaging material in international trade. 
6. Description of content:  The notified manual sets forth regul ations for the implementation 
of ISPM No. 15 in the Dominican Republic. 
7. Objective and rationale: [    ] food safety,  [    ] animal health,  [  X ] plant protection, 
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  X ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests   
8. International standard, guideline or recommendation: 
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [ X ] International Plant Protection Convention,  [   ] None 
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:   
 The International Plant Protection Convention devised ISPM No. 15 to regulate 
wood packaging material in international trad e, with a view to preventing the introduction 
and/or spread of wood packaging-related pests and diseases.  There are no differences 
between ISPM No. 15 and our Manual of Pr ocedures for Regulating Wood Packaging in 
International Trade. G/SPS/N/DOM/2 
Page 2  
 
  9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  
 Guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade.  
International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) No. 15.  Manual de 
Procedimientos para la Aplicación de la  Norma No. 15 en la República Dominicana  
(Manual of Procedures for the Implementation of Standard No. 15 in the Dominican Republic) (available in Spanish).  Adopted on the basis of ISPM No. 15.  Resolution 
No. 22/2004, whereby the Ministry of Agricultu re, through the Department of Plant Health 
as National Plant Protection Organization, adopts the treatments referred to in  IPPC (FAO) 
International Standard for Phytosanitary Me asures (ISPM) No. 15, approved in March 2002, 
for wood packaging destined for use in in ternational trade (available in Spanish). 
10. Proposed date of adoption:  1 July 2005  
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  1 July 2006  
12. Final date for comments:  26 June 2006  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification 
authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:   
13. Texts available from:  [  X ] National notification authority, [  X ] National enquiry 
point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:   
Km. 6 ½ Autopista Duarte, Jardines del Norte, Santo Domingo, D.N. 
Tel:          809-547-3888, Ext. 4100, 4101, 4102, 4103, 4104 Fax:         809-562-8939 E-mail:    sanidad_vegetal@agricultura.gov.do Web site:   http://www.agricultura.gov.do