Washington, DC
September 28, 2007
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS) today announced international standard-setting
activities under consideration by the World Organization for
Animal Health (OIE), the Secretariat of the International Plant
Protection Convention and the North American Plant Protection
Organization. These organizations are responsible for
establishing science-based sanitary and phytosanitary standards
that promote safe and balanced trade of agricultural products.
APHIS also is soliciting comments on the standards to be
considered. This action is in accordance with legislation
implementing the results of the Uruguay Round of negotiations
under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
The Secretary of Agriculture is the official responsible for
informing the public of the sanitary and phytosanitary standards
under consideration or planned for consideration by these
international standard-setting organizations. A description is
available for each sanitary and phytosanitary standard under
consideration, along with a statement of whether the United
States is participating or plans to participate in the
consideration of that standard.
The full text of each
International Plant Protection Convention and the North American
Plant Protection Organization standard is available on the
Internet at
www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/plant_exports/draft_standards_4_comment.shtml.
The full text of each OIE standard
is available on the Internet at www.oie.int. In addition, the
federal notice also identifies which U.S. agency is responsible
for representing each standard.
This notice and request for comments was published in the Sept.
25 Federal Register.
Interested parties are invited to comment on this notice. Send
an original and three copies of postal mail or commercial
delivery comments to Docket No. APHIS-2007-0085, Regulatory
Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700
River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, Md. 20737-1238.
Comments can be submitted on-line,
go to the Federal eRulemaking portal at
www.regulations.gov,
select "Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service" from
the agency drop-down menu, then click on "Submit."
In the Docket ID column, select
APHIS-2007-0085 to submit or view public comments and to view
supporting and related materials available electronically.
Comments are posted on the regulations.gov Web site and also can
be viewed at USDA, Room 1141, South Building, 14th St. and
Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., between 8 a.m. and
4:40 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. To
facilitate entry into the comment reading room, please call
(202) 690-2817. |
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