. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/EEC/49/Add.1
4 August 2000
(00-3196)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
Addendum
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  European Commission:  Directorate-General for Health and
Consumer Protection
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). Specified risk material:
1. The skull including the brains and eyes, the tonsils and the spinal cord and the
ileum of bovine animal aged over 12 months;
2. The skull including the brains and eyes, the tonsils and the spinal cord of ovine and
caprine animals aged over 12 months or that have a permanent incisor erupted
through the gum, and the spleen of ovine and caprine animals of all ages;
In addition to the points above, for United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and Portugal
with the exception of Autonomous regions of Azores:
3. The entire head excluding the tongue, including the brains, eyes, trigeminal ganglia
and tonsils, the thymus, the spleen, the intestines from the duodenum to the rectum
and the spinal cord of bovine animals aged over six months;
4. The vertebral column, including dorsal root ganglia, of bovine animals aged over 30
months.
Unless otherwise specified, the specified risk materials do not include products containing
or derived from those tissues.
Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
Member States of the European Union and countries exporting the above-mentioned
products to the European Communities.
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Commission Decision
2000/418/EC regulating the use of material presenting risks as regards transmissible
spongiform encephalopaties and amending D ecision 94/474/EC (O.J. L158 of 30 June 2000,
pages 76-83), (7 pages)G/SPS/N/EEC/49/Add.1
Page 2
5. Description of content:  The decision lays down the rules for placing on the market of
products of animal origin with respect to the removal of, or absence of, specified risk
material.  Rules do not apply to cosmetics, medicinal products, medical devices, or their
starting materials or intermediate products, for which other specific rules apply and to
products not destined for use in human food, animal feed or fertilisers.
6. Objective and rationale: [  X ] 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 [     ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  The European Commission, taking into account
the advice of its relevant Scientific Committees and the relevant international standards, has
concluded that certain ruminant tissues should be designated as specified risk materials on
the basis of the pathogenesis of TSEs and the epidemiological status of the country orregion of origin or residence of the animal concerned.
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:
Scientific Veterinary Committee's opinion of 21 October 1996 (Available in English);
Scientific Steering Committee opinions of 9 December 1997, 17 February 1998,
23 January 1998, 14 April 2000 (Available in English);  and
Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures opinion of 25 June 1999 (Available in
English).
9. Proposed date of adoption:  June 2000 – Commission Decision 2000/418/EC takes into
account comments made by WTO Members on Decision 97/534/EC, notified as
G/SPS/N/EEC/49, which is thus repealed.
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  1 October 2000 for Member States of the European
Communities – 31 March 2001 for other WTO Members.
11. Final date for comments:  Comments are welcome and will be taken into account as
foreseen by Article 8 of Commission Decision 2000/418/EC.
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [     ] National notification
authority, [  X ] EC enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:           
12. Texts available from: [     ] National notification authority, [  X ] EC enquiry point or
address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:           