. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/502
19 September 2001
(01-4443)
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:  Environmental protection Agency – EPA
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).  Pesticides  Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant
or practicable:           
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document: Availability of Phosmet Partial
Interim Reregistration Eligibility Decision Document for Comment and Availability of
Benefits Assessments for Azinphos-methyl and Phosmet (2 pages plus documents).
5. Description of content: This notice announces availability and starts a 60-day public
comment period on the partial Interim Reregistration Eligibility Decision document (IRED)
for the pesticide active ingredient phosmet.  The document represents EPA's partial formal
regulatory assessment of the health and environmental data base of the subject chemical andpresents the Agency's determination on a partial list of uses ( 17 use sites) for which
phosmet is eligible for reregistration.  This notice also announces the availability of
twenty-four Benefits Assessments for azinphos-methyl and phosmet.  These documents
provide a biological assessment of the use of azinphos-methyl and phosmet, and an
economic assessment of the impacts on re venue and crop production caused by potential
modification to existing use patterns.  Any comments on the benefits assessments should be
provided to EPA as soon as possible to ensure their consideration in the Agency's decisions.
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 [     ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  There are a number of Maximum Residue
Limits (MRLs) for azinphos-methyl and phosmet established by Codex.
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  66 FR 47657,
13 September 2001 (available in English)
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determinedG/SPS/N/USA/502
Page 2
11. Final date for comments:  13 November 2001
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:  Environmental Protection Agency
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: [     ] National notification authority, [     ] National enquiry point
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
United States SPS Enquiry Point/Notification Authority
USDA/FAS/FSTSD
ATTN: Carolyn F. Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture Building
Stop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.Washington, D.C. 20250
Tel:  (202) 720-2239
Fax:  (202) 690-0677
     E-mail Address: ofsts@fas.usda.gov