. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/DEU/5 
28 February 2008 
 (08-0921) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   GERMANY
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:    
Federal Ministry of Food, Agri culture and Consumer Protection 
Division 613 (International Trade Affairs) Wilhelmstrasse 54 
10117 Berlin 
Germany  Tel: +(49) 3018 5290 Fax: +(49) 301 8529 3276 Email: 613@bmelv.bund.de Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:         
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:         
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   Products of seals 
(Pinnipedia)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Act concerning the 
prohibition of the importation, processing and marketing of products derived from seals (17 pages, in German). 
6. Description of content:   The importation, processing and placing on the market of seal 
products for profit-making into or within Ge rmany will be prohibited. Taking along seal 
products for private use continues to be allo wed. The use of seal products for diagnostic, 
training and research purposes or for the purpose of taxidermy also remains possible. 
Moreover, seal products may be imported subject  to approval if the animals have been 
killed prior to the entry into force of the Act or as part of the traditional hunting practised by 
the Inuit. These seal products may subseque ntly be further processed and marketed in 
Germany without any further approval being n eeded. This is also possible, subject to 
approval, if the products have been imported  into Germany from another EU Member State 
and if the seals had been culled in a traditiona l manner by the Inuit. Moreover, special rules 
for cases of hardship and a transitiona l arrangement have been included. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Animal health and welfare, public morals G/TBT/N/DEU/5 
Page 2  
 
  8. Relevant documents:   Act concerning the prohibition of the importation, processing and 
marketing of products derived from seals 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   }To be decided 
10. Final date for comments:   60 days from date of notification. 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [    ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:   
Federal Ministry of Food, Agri culture and Consumer Protection 
Division 613 (International Trade Affairs) Wilhelmstrasse 54 
10117 Berlin 
Germany  Tel: +(49) 3018 5290 Fax: +(49) 301 8529 3276 Email: 613@bmelv.bund.de 
and 
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2008/tbt/deu/08_0594_00_x.pdf