. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/FIN/1
8 June 2000
(00-2287)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  FINLAND
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
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). Canada, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Taiwan and the United
States.  Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
Coniferous wood packing material
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Regulation of the Ministry of
Agriculture and Forestry on Additional Measures  to Prevent the Dissemination of Pine Wood
Nematode through Coniferous Wood Packing Material imported from certain Countries,
Decree no. 53/00 of 14 April 2000 (3 pages)
5. Description of content:  The regulation lays down additional requirements for imports of
coniferous wood packing material from Cana da, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea,
Mexico, Taiwan and USA in order to prev ent the dissemination of pine wood nematode
(Bursaphelenchus xylophilus). Such imports must be accompanied by a phytosanitary
certificate that the material has met one of the requirements laid down in the Annex of the
Decree.
6. Objective and rationale:  [     ] food safety,  [     ] animal health,  [  X ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [     ] protect territory from
other damage from pests           
7. Nature of the urgent problem(s):  Monitoring inspections  carried out by the Finnish plant
health authorities have shown numerous in festations of wooden packing material with
pinewood nematode. The inspections have also disclosed that the current Community plant
health requirements for packing material fro m countries where pine wood nematode occurs
are in many cases not met. The results of the inspections indicate that imports of coniferous
packing material from the countries cited above present an imminent risk to plant health in
Finland.
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:  International standards concerning non-
manufactured wood packing materials are to be discussed at a FAO  IPPC meeting scheduled
for June 2000.G/SPS/N/FIN/1
Page 2
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Decree no. 53/00 of
14 April 2000, available in Finnish, Swedish and English.
10. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):  31 May 2000
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:           