. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/301
7 July 2000
(00-2790)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES
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 – APHIS
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).  Bovine (specific parts)  Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the
extent relevant or practicable:  Argentina
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Importation of Bovine Parts from
Argentina (3 pages)
5. Description of content:  The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is
amending the regulations governing the importation of certain animals, meat, and other
animal products by prohibiting the importation from Argentina of any bovine parts that are
not, by standard practice, part of a bovine carcass that is placed in a chiller for maturation
after slaughter.  Items prohibited from importation include all parts of bovine heads, feet,
hooves, and internal organs.  Additionally, we are requiring that bovines slaughtered for theexport of fresh beef from Argentina to the United States undergo ante - and post - mortem
inspections for signs of foot-and-mouth dise ase and that representatives of APHIS be
allowed access to the establishments where the bovines are slaughtered.  We are also
clarifying some provisions of the regulations.  We are taking these actions as emergency
measures to protect the livestock of the United States from foot-and-mouth disease.
This interim rule is effective 28 June 2000.  We invite you to comment on this action.  We
will consider all comments that we receive by 28 August 2000.  Detailed instruction onwhere and how to send comments is in the body of the full text – which will be sent upon
request to the address in paragraph 11.
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. Nature of the urgent problem(s):  To protect the livestock of the United States from foot-
and-mouth disease.
8. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [     ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give its appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  APHIS is proposing this action in accordance
with Article 2.1.1.15 of the Office international des Epizooties (OIE) Animal Health Code.G/SPS/N/USA/301
Page 2
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  65 FR 39782,
28 June 2000 (Available in English)
10. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):  To be determined.
11. Texts available from/and agency or authority designated to handle comments:
[ X ] National notification authority, [  X ] 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. WilsonRoom 5545 South Agriculture Building
Stop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Phone (202) 720-2239Fax (202) 690-0677
E-mail Address: ofsts@fas.usda.gov