RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/DS48/1
G/L/91
ORGANIZATION G/SPS/W/71
G/TBT/D/7
G/AG/W/26
8July1996
(96-2602)
Original: English
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES -MEASURES AFFECTING
LIVESTOCK AND MEAT (HORMONES)
Request forConsultations byCanada
Thefollowing communication, dated 28June1996, from thePermanent Mission ofCanada
tothePermanent Delegation oftheEuropean Commission andtotheDispute Settlement Body, is
circulated inaccordance withArticle 4.4oftheDSU.
_______________
TheGovernment ofCanada requests consultations withtheEuropean Communities pursuant
toArticle XXII oftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994, Article 11oftheAgreement
ontheApplication ofSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures, Article 14oftheAgreement onTechnical
BarrierstoTrade,andArticle19oftheAgreementonAgriculture,regardingcertainmeasuresprohibiting
theimportation oflivestock andmeat from livestock thathavebeentreated withcertain substances
having ahormonal action. These measures include, butarenotlimited to:Council Directive
88/146/EEC; thedirectives referenced inthatdirective (72/462/EEC, 81/602/EEC, 81/851/EEC,
81/852/EEC, 85/358/EEC), thedecisions referred toinArticle 6(2)ofdirective 88/146/EEC; the
control program referred toinArticle 6(7)ofdirective 88/146/EEC; thederogations referred toin
Article 7ofdirective 88/146/EEC; andanyamendments ormodifications, including Council Directives
96/22/EC and96/23/EC.
These measures adversely affect theimportation oflivestock andmeatfrom livestock. The
Government ofCanada isoftheviewthatthese measures areinconsistent withtheobligations ofthe
EuropeanCommunitiesundertheAgreementontheApplicationofSanitaryandPhytosanitaryMeasures,
theGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994, theAgreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade,
andtheAgreement onAgriculture. Theprovisions ofthese agreements withwhich these measures
areinconsistent include, butarenotlimited to,thefollowing:
(i) Agreement ontheApplication ofSanitary andPhytosanitary Measures, Articles 2,
3and5;
(ii) General Agreement onTariffs andTrade 1994, Article IIIorArticle XI;
(iii) Agreement onTechnical Barriers toTrade, Article 2;and
(iv) Agreement onAgriculture, Article 4.
./.WT/DS48/1
G/L/91
G/SPS/W/71
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G/AG/W/26
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These measures nullify orimpair thebenefits accruing toCanada directly orindirectly under
thecitedagreements.
Inaccordance withArticle 4oftheUnderstanding onRules andProcedures Governing the
SettlementofDisputes,theGovernmentofCanadarequestsconsultationswiththeEuropeanCommunities
todiscuss thismatter withtheintention ofreaching amutually satisfactory result. TheGovernment
ofCanada welcomes anysuggestions theEuropean Communities maywishtomake concerning dates
onwhich theconsultations could takeplace within thirty daysfromthedateofreceipt ofthisrequest.