. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/171
14 July 1999
(99-2911)
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, Animal and Plant Health 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, where applicable).
Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  Animals
and animal products
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Recognition of Animal Disease Status
of Regions in the European Union (14 pages)
5. Description of content:  The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is
proposing to amend the regulations concerning the importation of animals and animalproducts to recognize a region in the European Union as a region in which hog cholera is not
known to exist, and from which breeding swin e, swine semen, and pork and pork products
may be imported into the United Sates under certain conditions.  Additionally, APHIS is
proposing to recognize Greece as free of foot-and-mouth disease and swine vesicular
disease, and to recognize eight Regions in Italy as free of swine vesicular disease. Theseproposed actions are based on a request from  the European Commission’s Directorate
General for Agriculture and on our analysis of the supporting documentation supplied by the
European Commission and individu al member States.  These proposed actions would relieve
some restrictions on the importation into the United Sates of certain animals and animal
products from those regions.  However, because of the status of those regions with respect toother diseases, and, in some cases, because of other factors that could result in an increased
risk of introducing animal diseases into the United States, the importation of animals and
animal products into the United States from those regions would continue to be subject to
certain restrictions.  APHIS invites comments on this proposal and also on the related risk
assessments.
6. Objective and rationale:  [    ] food safety  [ X ] 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 [   ].
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:   We believe this action is in accordance with
international standards set by the O ffice International des Epizooties (OIE)G/SPS/N/USA/171
Page 2
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  64 FR 34155,
25 June 1999;  9 CFR Parts 92, 94 and 98 (Available in English)
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined.
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  The date of entry into force will be announced when the
final rule is published in the Federal Register.
11. Final date for comments:   24 August 1999
Agency or authority designated to handle comme nts:  [  ] National notification authority,
[  ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of
other body:   Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA
Detailed instruction on where and how to send commen ts 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:
US SPS Enquiry Point/Notification Authority:
USDA/FAS/FSTD
Attn:  Carolyn F. Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture Building
Stop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Tel:  (202) 720 2239Fax::  (202) 690 0677
E-mail address:  ofsts@fas.usda.gov