. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/EEC/184
8 January 2003
(03-0053)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:   Commission of the European Communities.  Health and Consumer
Protection Directorate-General Directorate E – Food Safety:  Plant Health, Animal Health
and Welfare, International Questions
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where
applicable):  Live sheep and goats CN 0104)
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
Member States of the European Communitie s (EEC) and third countries exporting the
animals concerned to the EEC.
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   SANCO/3926/2002 Draft
Commission Regulation amending  Regulation (EC) No.999/2001 of the European Parliament
and of the Council as regards the import of live ovine and caprine animals.  Document Rev.2
(5 pages).
6. Description of content:   This draft amends Regulation 999/2001 to impose new conditions
for the import of live sheep and goats from out side the European Union.  The measure will
bring import rules into line with the new rule s for eradication of TSEs and for trade in
breeding sheep and goats which will apply within the European Union from 1 October 2003.
7. Objective and rationale:  [  X ] food safety, [ X ] animal health, [   ] plant protection,
[  ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or di sease,  [   ]  protect territory from other
damage from pests
8. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [ X ] Office International des Epizooties,
[   ] International Plant Prot ection Convention, [   ] None
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:
Chapter 2.4.8 of the OIE international animals health code lays down scrapie-related
standards for trade in live sheep and goats, but these standards are dependant on a number ofcriteria which have yet to be defined.  The import measures in this draft regulation are a
reflection of new rules for eradication of TSEs in infected flocks and new rules for trade of
breeding sheep and goats within the EU.  The la tter measures have in turn been implemented
on the basis of the 4-5 April 2002 opinion of the Scientific Steering Committee on safe
sourcing of small ruminant materials .  The opinions of the Scie ntific Steering Committee can
be downloaded from:  http://europa.e u.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/outcome_en.htmlG/SPS/N/EEC/184
Page 2
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  European
Commission Document SANC O/3926/2002 Rev.2 "Draft Comm ission Regulation amending
Regulation (EC) No.999/2001 of the European Parl iament and of the Council as regards the
import of live ovine and caprine animals.  Do cument available in English.  French and
Spanish versions will be available soon.  When adopted it will be published at the Official
Journal available at:  http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/oj/index.html .
10. Proposed date of adoption:   March 2003
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   1 October 2003
12. Final date for comments:  Sixty (60) days after the date of notification
Agency or authority designated to handle co mments:  [ X ] EC notification authority,
[   ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of
other body:
13.Texts available from:  [   ] National notification authority,  [ X ] EC enquiry point,  or
address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: