. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/NZL/174
26 June 2002
(02-3566)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   NEW ZEALAND
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF);
Ministry of Health (MoH);  and
Department of C onservation (DoC)
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):   Table grapes  (Vitis vinifera )
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
United States of America  (State of California), Australia, Mexico and Chile
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  "Information note for
WTO members - assessment of risks of exotic spiders associated with imported table
grapes" (193 pages, available in English)
6. Description of content:
Following the discovery post border of live exotic spiders, including black widow
spiders, on shipments, New Zealand temporarily suspended imports of Californian table
grapes in November 2001 as the risks to human health and the environment were no longer
considered acceptable.  This suspension was notified to Members in G/SPS/N/NZL/160 (13
November 2001)
Draft health impact and pest risk assessments have been completed along with
recommended mitigation measures for the trade in table grapes from the United States of
America (State of California), Australia, Mexico and Chile.  Recommended measures for
California are proposed on human health grounds and do not require high resource or
equipment inputs and may allow trade to recommence.  The measures in summary include:
(a) visual inspection of the grapes and packaging for spider life stages at harvest
(currently done but not specifically targeting spiders);
(b) tightening of specifications for the type of packaging to be used, tightening of
procedures for fumigation of grapes and packaging with SO 2/CO 2 gas;
(c) recommended all grape boxes be identifiable back to a treatment facility and
treatment batch, and NZ MAF inspectors will audit these facilities prior to
exports beginning and at various times during the export season;
(d) the product will be subject to post treatment security measures to prevent re-
infestation with exotic spiders and there will be an official inspection of a sample
of 920 grape bunches (and their packaging) with a zero acceptance level for
exotic spiders per consignment;  andG/SPS/N/NZL/174
Page 2
The level of spider interceptions and post-border detections will be reviewed at
the end of the season and any possible changes to the programme initiated at that
time.
No additional measures have been proposed for Australia, Chile and Mexico.
Once post-border contingencies have been agreed for the California pathway, these will be
applied consistently across all table grape pathways.  These contingencies include trace-back to treatment facilities for post-border defections of exotic spiders of human health
concern, or multiple detections of other exotic spiders to check compliance with measures
in the import health standard.
As these are trade-facilitating measures, the comments period has been reduced.
7. Objective and rationale:  [    ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [   ] plant protection,
[ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,  [ X ]  protect territory from
other damage from pests
8. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] Office International des Epizooties,
[ X ] International Plant Protec tion Convention, [   ] None
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:   Pest risk assessment has been conducted in
accordance with ISPM 2:  Guidelines for Pest Risk Analysis.
9. Relevant documents and language(s ) in which these are available:   None
10. Proposed date of adoption:   anticipated August 2002
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  anticipated August 2002
12. Final date for comments:   24 July 2002
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification
authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:  Ms. Christine Reed, Indigenous Flora and Fauna team, MAF
Biosecurity, PO Box 2526, 101-103 The Terrace, Wellington, New Zealand. Tel +64 4 470
2756; Fax +64 4 470 2741;  E-mail:  reedc@maf.govt.nz
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notification authority,  [   ]  National enquiry point,
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:   M r .  K e a w e
Woodmore, Coordinator, SPS New Z ealand, PO Box 2526, 101-103 The Terrace,
Wellington, New Zealand.  Tel:  + 64 4 474 4226;  Fax:  +64 4 470 2730;
E-mail:  sps@maf.govt.nz
Website:  www.maf.govt.nz/biosecurity/sps/transparency/notifications/index.htm