. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/GEN/137
14 September 1999
(99-3760)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
MONITORING THE PROCESS OF INTERNATIONAL HARMONIZATION
Responses Received from the Standard-Setting Bodies
Note by the Secretariat
As agreed by the Committee at its meeting of 7-8 July 1999, the Chairman submitted to the
FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex ), the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary
Measures of the FAO International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the Office internationaldes épizooties (OIE) a copy of the first annual report of the Committee on the Procedure to Monitor
the Process of International Harmonization (G/SPS/13).  The Chairman in particular drew attention to
those sections of the report relating to standards, guidelines or recommendations of direct relevance to
each of these bodies, and indicated that the SPS Committee would appreciate being kept informed of
what consideration, if any, was being given to the issues identified.  The following responses havebeen received from the standard-setting bodies.
From Dr. Jean Blancou, Dire ctor-General of the OIE:
"… I wish to inform you that the Bureau of the OIE International Animal Health Code
Commission met at the OIE headquarters in Paris shortly after the last meeting of theCommittee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Committee), of which you are
Chairman.
During their meeting the members of the International Animal Health Code
Commission took note of the provisional ve rsion of the aforementioned document and
decided on a certain number of initiatives aimed at determining to what extend solutions
could be proposed to problems raised in the document that fall within the scope of the OIE.
A study of document G/SPS/ 13 will also be included on the agenda for the next
meeting of the Bureau of International Animal  Health Code Commission, due to be held next
September.  This will provide the members of the Bureau with an opportunity to study the
document in greater depth;  decide on the extent to which the Commission's working
programme can be revised accordingly, and evaluate any available results of the initiatives
already undertaken.
The OIE representative at the meetings of the SPS Committee will in due course
inform the said Committee on the outcome of the deliberations of the International Animal
Health Code Commission on the problems rais ed in document G/SPS/13 and the state of
progress of the work undertaken in this respect."G/SPS/GEN/137
Page 2
From Dr. John Hedley, Chairman, Interi m Commission on Phytosanitary Measures:
"The term "official control" as it occurs in the definition of quarantine pest will be 
discussed at the 2nd meeting of the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (ICPM).
It was suggested at the last meeting of the Standards Committee of the ICPM
(Committee of Experts on Phytosanitary Measures) in May 1999 that the ICPM consider
developing a short standard to provide a full description of the application of the term.  The
suggestion of the United States made in the SPS Committee meeting coincides with the
suggestion of the Committee of Experts.  Anyway, the matter will be discussed in October at
the next meeting of the ICPM when we discuss the glossary of Phytosanitary Terms .
I will ensure that the SPS Committee is informed, probably with the help of
Mr. R. Griffin, the Coordinator of the IPPC Secretariat, of the result of the considerations of
the ICPM."
From Mr. G.D. Orriss, Secretary of the Code x Alimentarius Commission, in consultation with
Mr. Thomas Billy, Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission:
"The request from the SPS Committee to consider and report on these issues is, we
believe, a very positive aspect of the relationship between Codex and the Committee.  TheSPS Committee has called the attention of Codex to four specific issues:  chlortetracycline on
pork and pork products;  Bacilli  and other organisms in canned and bottled products;  benzoic
acid as a preservative in sauces;  and certification regarding the absence of pathogens in raw
meat products.  These matters will be brought to the attention of the Chairpersons of the
relevant Codex Committees with the request that they be discussed at Committee level inorder to respond as positively as possible to the requests of your Members.  Nevertheless, the
implications of the request vary from case to case.  The establishment of maximum residue
limits for chlortetracycline in pork and pork products and the setting of levels for use of
benzoic acid in sauces and other products are under active consideration by the relevant
Codex Committees and hopefully will result in a final decision at the next (24
th) Session of
the Commission in 2001.  The other matters are entirely new to Codex and there is no clear
indication that they are amenable to the setting of standards or that standards are indeedneeded;  the advice of the relevant Codex Committees will be sought.
We will keep you apprised of developments in all four areas, both in writing and at 
meetings of the SPS Committee as the occasion warrants."
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