. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/686
16 January 2003
(03-0228)
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:  Animal Plant Health Inspection Service
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):   Beef amd beef products, and ruminants
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
Trading partners
5. Title, language  and number of pages of the notified document:  Change in disease
status of Israel because of BSE, availabl e in English, Volume 67 Number 212, 9, CFR, Part
94, page 66533, www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webreport.html
6. Description of content:   USDA-APHIS is adopting as a final rule, without change, an
interim rule that amended the regulations by addi ng Israel to the list of regions where bovine
spongiform encephalopathy exists because of the disease had been detected in a native born
animal in that region.  The effect of the in terim rule was a restriction on the importation of
ruminants, meat, meat products and certain ot her products of ruminants that had been in
Israel.  The interim rule was necessary to help prevent the introduction of bovine spongiformencephalopathy into the United States.
7. 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
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reason for urgent action: The interim rule was
necessary to help prevent the introduction of  bovine spongiform encephalopathy into the
United States.
9. 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 2.3.13
10. Relevant documents and language(s ) in which these are available:   English
11. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):   4 June 2002G/SPS/N/USA/686
Page 2
12. Agency or authority designated to handl e comments:  [   ] National notification
authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:  
Detailed instructions on where and how to send comments are in the body of the full text
which will be sent upon request to the address in paragraph 13.
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notification authority, [ X ] National enquiry point,
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
Mr. Bill Janis
US Department of Agriculture
Stop 1027
Washington DC 20250
Tel:  202 720 9047
Fax:  202 720 0677E-mail: fstsd@fas.usda.gov