WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/NZL/44/Add.1
22 February 2000
(00-0657)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURE
Addendum
The following communication by New Zealand is being circulated.
On 14 June 1999, the Ministry of Health issued the New Zealand (Emergency) Food Standard
(No.2) 1999.  The standard was notified to WTO members on 28 June 1999 in the notification
G/SPS/N/NZL/44.  The emergency measure was issued as a result of dioxin contaminated stock foodbeing distributed in Belgium, France and the Netherlands.  The standard required that imported food
from these countries were monitored to verify:
• if the food was manufactured in the period when contamination was likely, or
• the pork, poultry, beef, dairy, fat, or egg content of the food, or
• that the ingredients were not involved in the contamination incident, or,
• the food has been tested.
The standard was notified that it would remain in force for a period of six months following the date
of notification in the New Zealand Gazette  (15 June 1999) unless revoked earlier.
In July 1999 the controls on French and Dutch products were removed, however, the restrictions on
Belgian products remained.  The situation in Belgium has continued to evolve and more restrictionshave been lifted as the European Commission reviews the situation.  The Commission has been
maintaining a close interest in the management  of the contamination in Belgium and recently
expressed some confidence that the dioxin crisis was proving to be a short, intense contamination
problem, rather than a more general and widespread event.  As a result of this, the Ministry of Health
has allowed the current New Zealand (Emergency) Food Standard (No.2) 1999 to expire on 19January 2000 rather than renew any border controls.
Other WTO members have lifted some restrictions on Belgian products.  This addendum is to notify
WTO members that the New Zealand (Emergency) Food Standard (No.2) 1999 has expired and as of
20 January 2000, there are no additional legislation or requirements requiring border surveillance offood products suspected of being contaminated with dioxin from Belgium.
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