. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/MEX/156
16 May 2000
(00-1990)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original: Spanish
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  MEXICO
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of the Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where
applicable). Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or
practicable: Crustaceans and artemia
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Emergency Mexican Official
Standard NOM-EM-003-PESC-2000, establishing requirements for determining the
presence of viral diseases in live or dead aquatic crustaceans, their products or by-productsin any format and artemia ( artemia spp), for importation into and movement within the
national territory.  (13 pages)
5. Description of content:  The purpose of this Emergency Mexican Official Standard is to
establish the requirements for determining the presence of viral diseases in live or dead
aquatic crustaceans, their products or by-products in any format and artemia ( artemia  spp),
for importation into and movement within the national territory.
6. Objective and rationale:  [     ] food safety,  [     ] animal health,  [     ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  X ] protect territory from
other damage from pests           
7. Nature of the urgent problem(s):  The occurrence of viral diseases in stocks is one of the
factors restricting the development of aquaculture, since there is currently no treatmentavailable to control it.  Viruses affecting the species of penaeid shrimp produce generalized
lesions in various organs of the infected specimens, causing massive mortality, with rates of
up to 100 per cent mortality of cultivated shrimp populations.
Of the main dispersion media for the disease-carrying causal agents of diseases in
aquaculture, the most common is the transfer of live asymptomatic carrier organisms,particularly through importation into and movement within the national territory.
There is evidence to show that the causal agents of viral diseases are spread by
water, tools, equipment, vehicles, birds and other animals.
It has been shown that imports of frozen shrimp infected with the causal viruses of
the diseases White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) and Yellow Head Virus (YHV) from
countries where viral particles of these diseases have been detected, represent a major risk
of introducing a virus different from that identified in the national territory, which is spreadthrough solid waste and waste water from the plants reprocessing this product.
The importation into and movement within the national territory of live or dead
crustaceans, their products or by-products  in  whatever  format  and  organisms  in  a  latentG/SPS/N/MEX/156
Page 2
7. Nature of the urgent problem(s): (cont'd)
stage such as artemia cysts, whether for the purposes of farming, marketing, processing,
research or consumption, represents a major risk of spreading the causal agents of these
diseases, which could cause losses to aquaculture or natural crustacean populations, thus
representing a potential environmental danger.
WSSV was detected in shrimp farms and in natural penaeid shrimp populations
along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, in United States territorial waters and, recently, in
Central and South America, while YHV has affected shrimps farmed in countries of Asia
and in the United States, causing serious economic losses.
While Mexican Official Standard NOM-010-PESC-1993, establishing sanitary
requirements for the importation of live aquatic organisms into the national territory,
whatever their stage of development, whether for ornamental or aquacultural purposes,published in the Official Journal ( Diario Oficial de la Federación ) of 16 August 1994,
remains in force, it does not include WSSV and Taura Syndrome Virus (TSV) among the
certifiable diseases.  Furthermore, while it does include YHV as a certifiable disease, it does
not establish sanitary control regulations for this disease applicable to dead aquatic
specimens, their products or by-products in whatever format, or to crustaceans other thanpenaeid shrimps.
Furthermore, Mexican Official Standard NOM-011-PESC-1993, regulating the
application of quarantine in order to prevent the introduction and spread of certifiable
diseases requiring notification, as regards the importation of live aquatic organisms in
whatever stage of development, whether for ornamental or aquacultural purposes into theUnited Mexican States, published in the Official Journal on 16 August 1994, does not
extend the application of quarantine to any kind of crustacean.
For the reasons given above, requirements need to be established to determine the
presence of viral diseases in live or dead aquatic crustaceans, their products or by-products
in whatever format and artemia ( artemia spp) for importation into or movement within the
national territory.
8. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [  X ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give its appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  This Standard is partially in agreement with the
recommendations of the International Aquatic Animal Health Code.
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Diario Oficial de la
Federación  (Official Journal) of 25 April 2000 (Spanish)
10. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):  The day following its
publication (26 April 2000), valid for six months from publication.
11. Texts available from/and 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:
         Website:  http://www.secofi.gob.mx/dgn1.html