. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/828
11 November 2003
(03-6047)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:   Animal Plant Health Inspections Service - APHIS
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):  Live ruminants and ruminant products
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  All US
trading partners
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy;  Minimal Risk Regions and Importation of Commodities, English, andVolume 68 Number 213 PP.62386-62405,
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html
6. Description of content:  The United States is proposing to amend the regulations regarding
the importation of animals and animal products to recognize a category of regions that
present a minimal risk of introducing bovin e spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) into the
United States via live ruminants and ruminant products, and, are proposing to add Canadato this category.  We are also proposing to allow the importation of certain live ruminants
and ruminant products and byproducts from such regions under certain conditions.  The
United States believes this action is warranted because it would continue to protect against
the introduction of BSE into the United States while removing unnecessary prohibitions on
certain commodities from Canada and other regions that qualify as BSE-minimal-riskregions.
7. Objective and rationale:  [    ] food safety, [ X ] animal health, [   ] plant protection,
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,  [   ] protect territory from other
damage from pests
8. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [ X ] Office International des Epizooties,
[   ] International Plant Prot ection Convention, [   ] None
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  Chapter 2.3.13
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  English
10. Proposed date of adoption:   To be determined
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   To be determinedG/SPS/N/USA/828
Page 2
12. Final date for comments:  Submit comments by 5 January 2004 to USDA/APHIS,
Docket 03-080-1, Station 3C71, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20727-1238
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:   Ms. Roseanne Freese, United States SPS Enquiry Point Officer,
Food Safety and Technical Services Division, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service
Telephone: 202 690-1642 Fax: 202 720-7772, E-mail:  fstsd@fas.usda.gov
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notification authority, [ X ] National enquiry point,
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
Ms. Roseanne Freese, United States SPS Enquiry Point Officer, Food Safety and Technical
Services Division, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Telephone: 202 690-1642,Fax:  202 720-7772, E-mail:  fstsd@fas.usda.gov  or through link identified in box 5 above.