. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/NLD/50
25 February 2000
(00-0714)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  THE NETHERLANDS
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries
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:  Live cattle
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Amendment to the Regulation
governing trade in live animals and living products (9 pages).
5. Description of content:  In order to reduce the risk of infection to an absolute minimum
when trading in cattle, additional requirements are prescribed at national level to further
supplement and reinforce Directive 64/432/EC.  These requirements optimise cleaning and
disinfection and restrict the number of contacts between animals.  They concern, inter alia :
- disinfection and cleaning regulations for the people who work at the centre;- the obligation to control pests at the collection centre;
- the presence of a hygiene barrier with changing and washing facilities;
- a hard floor cover for areas where materials may fall off transport vehicles onto the floor;
- the use of materials made of durable and waterproof material;
- the separate collection of cattle originating from different countries by collecting them at
different times or at the same time but in separate epidemiological business units.  The
presence of epidemiological business units, however, is optional.
If the collection centre comprises different business units, it is also permitted to collect
cattle with different health status at the same time, and cattle for breeding, production and
slaughter at the same time, provided the cattl e is collected in different epidemiological
business units, according to health status and category respectively.
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 [  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: Draft Decree
amending the Regulation governing trade in live animals and living products.  Available in
English.G/SPS/N/NLD/50
Page 2
9. Proposed date of adoption:  10 December 1999
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  27 March 2000
11. Final date for comments:  20 March 2000
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:
12. Texts available from: [     ] National notification authority, [  X ] National enquiry point
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: