. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/486
9 August 2001
(01-3955)
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:  Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service
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:  Animal tissue testing
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Residue policy (2 pages)
5. Description of content:
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing its intention to
harmonize its procedures with those of th e Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with
respect to the target tissue/marker residue policy in testing animal tissues for residues of
new animal drugs.  FSIS has reviewed its approach regarding the disposition of carcasses
containing residues and has determined that its approach is not consistent with FDA'sapproach.  To ensure that meat containing unsafe levels of chemical residues is not being
released into commerce, FSIS intends to modify its approach to testing and disposition of
carcasses for violative residues to be more consistent with FDA's target tissue/marker
residue policy.
6. Objective and rationale: [  X ] food safety,  [     ] animal health,  [     ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,
[    ] protect territory from other damage from pests           
7. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [  X ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:           
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  66 FR 40964,
6 August 2001 (available in English).
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined.
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined.
11. Final date for comments:  Comments may be submitted by no later than 5 September
2001.  FSIS will review comments and address them in another notice.  That notice will
come when the procedural changes addressed in this notice are effective.Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [     ] National notificationG/SPS/N/USA/486
Page 2
authority, [     ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:  Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.  Detailed
instruction on where and how to send comments is in the body of the full text - which will
be sent upon request to the address in paragraph 12.
12. Texts available from: [  X ] National notification authority, [  X ] National enquiry point
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
USDA/FAS/FSTSD
Attn:  Carolyn F. Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture Building
Stop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Phone:  (202) 720 2239Fax:  (202) 690 0677
E-mail:  ofsts@fas.usda.gov