. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/NLD/54
26 September 2000
(00-3873)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  THE NETHERLANDS
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, whereapplicable). Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or
practicable:  Dead dogs and cats
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Decree of the Minister of Health,
Welfare and Sport, amending the Decree designating specified high-risk material 2000
5. Description of content:  The present Decree designates dead dogs and cats as specified
high-risk material. This means that this animal waste is pre-processed in a processing plant
for high-risk material, and is subsequently incinerated in an incineration installation.
6. Objective and rationale:  [  X ] food safety,  [  X ] animal health,  [     ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [     ] protect territory from
other damage from pests           
7. Nature of the urgent problem(s):  The use of dead dogs and cats in animal feed raises
objections for reasons of sentiment.  In addition dogs and cats are often euthanised with
certain substances which are not destroyed during the destruction process.  In this waycontamination of the raw materials for animal feed results.
With regard to both animal and public health, it is of extreme importance that this  animal
waste is destroyed by means of incineration.
In neighbouring countries dead dogs and cats are already destroyed by incineration.
In the meantime, the end product from processing plants for high-risk material is
decreasing in value due to the fact that adulteration of this product with euthanised dogs and
cats is well-known.  Dead dogs and cats must therefore as soon as possible be removed from
the human and animal food-chain
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:           G/SPS/N/NLD/54
Page 2
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available: Destruction Act
1994.  Act of 21 December 1995, amending the Destruction Act.  Act of 14 May 1998,
amending the Destruction Act. Act of 22 December 1999, amending the Destruction Act
with regard to the cost of making safe specific high-risk material.  Destruction Decree 1996,
amended 5 July 1997 and 4 February 2000.  (All documents are available in the Dutchlanguage.)
10. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):  The decree should enter
into force as soon as possible.
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:           