WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/Notif.00/192
13 April 2000
(00-1498)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Department of Agriculture (8)
Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be
indicated if different from above:           
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Tobacco
(HS Chapter 24)
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Tobacco Inspection
(3  pages, English)
6. Description of content:   The Department is proposing to revise the regulations for flue-cured
tobacco to more accurately describe tobacco as  it presently appears at the marketplace.  The
revision would add a new provision to the offici al grade standards for flue-cured tobacco to
denote that any lot of baled tobacco that has not been opened for inspection would be graded
by the exterior only.  Additional bale dimensions and space requirements would be
established for uniform marketing display in the warehouses.  To take into account the
marketing of bales, a revision would also be  necessary in the poundage adjustment for a
ware-house selling in excess of the sales schedule and for undesignated producer tobacco.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  :
To add a new provision to the official standards for flue-cured tobacco.
8. Relevant documents:   65 FR 13915, 15 March 2000; 7 CFR Pa rt 29.  Will appear in the
Federal Register when adopted.
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined
Proposed date of entry into force:
10. Final date for comments:   15 May 2000
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X] or address, e-mail and telefax
number of the other body:   The text is also available on the Internet at:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html