GSPSNUSA1811 PAGE 3 WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION GSPSNUSA1811 9 JUNE

World Trade

Organization

G/SPS/N/USA/1811

9 June 2008

(08-2690)

Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

Original: English

1.

Member to Agreement notifying: United States

If applicable, name of local government involved:

2.

Agency responsible: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

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): Alfalfa, cotton, sorghum, pea, wheat, barley, grain, clover, oat, vetch, blueberry, boysenberry, currant, dewberry, gooseberry, huckleberry, loganberry, citrus, pineapple, sugar, hazelnut, macadamia nut, pecan, walnut

4.

Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: Any US trade partners

5.

Title, language and number of pages of the notified document: PROPOSED RULE: Aldicarb, Ametryn, 2,4-DB, Dicamba, Dimethipin, Disulfoton, Diuron, et al.; Proposed Tolerance Actions (available in English, 16 pages)

6.

Description of content: This notification announces a proposed rule that existing EPA tolerances for residues of diuron in or on the following commodity(ies) be established at or changed to the following values in parts per million (ppm), or be eliminated, as indicated below:

EPA is proposing to revise the nomenclature for alfalfa to read alfalfa, forage and alfalfa, hay and to increase the tolerance on alfalfa, forage to 3.0 ppm.

EPA is proposing to decrease the tolerances on apple to 0.1 ppm, cotton, undelinted seed to 0.2 ppm, grape to 0.05 ppm, pineapple to 0.1 ppm, pea to 0.1 ppm and revise the tolerance nomenclature for pea to pea, field, seed; sorghum, grain, grain to 0.5 ppm; sugarcane, cane to 0.2 ppm, wheat, grain to 0.5 ppm, and wheat, straw to 1.5 ppm.

EPA is proposing to decrease the tolerance on barley, grain to 0.2 ppm, and establish a tolerance on barley, straw at 1.5 ppm.

EPA is proposing to establish the tolerances for grain, aspirated fractions at 5.0 ppm and wheat, bran at 0.7 ppm, and for barley, bran at 0.7 ppm.

EPA is proposing to decrease the tolerance on clover, forage to 0.1 ppm and clover, hay to 1.0 ppm.

EPA is proposing to decrease the tolerances on oat, grain to 0.1 ppm and oat, straw to 1.5 ppm.

EPA is proposing to decrease the tolerances on trefoil, forage and trefoil, hay to 0.1 ppm and 1.5 ppm, respectively.

EPA is proposing to decrease the tolerances on vetch, forage and vetch, hay to 0.1 ppm and 1.5 ppm, respectively.

EPA is proposing to revoke the individual tolerances on blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, currant, dewberry, gooseberry, huckleberry, loganberry, and raspberry and establish a tolerance on berry group 13 at 0.1 ppm.

EPA is proposing to revise the tolerance on fruit, citrus to fruit, citrus, group 10, except lemon and decrease it to 0.05 ppm, and establish a tolerance on lemon at 0.5 ppm.

EPA is proposing to revoke the tolerance on citrus, dried pulp and establish a tolerance on citrus, oil at 3.0 ppm.

EPA is proposing to establish a tolerance for pineapple, process residue at 0.4 ppm.

EPA is proposing to establish a tolerance for sugarcane, molasses at 0.7 ppm.

EPA is proposing to revoke the tolerance on nut and establish tolerances on hazelnut at 0.1 ppm, and nut, macadamia; pecan; and walnut; each at 0.05 ppm.

7.

Objective and rationale: [ X ] food safety, [ X ] animal health, [ X ] plant protection, [ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [   ] protect territory from other damage from pests

8.

International standard, guideline or recommendation:

[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [ X ] None

If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate reference and briefly identify deviations:

9.

Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available: Federal Register: 4 June 2008 (Volume 73, Number 108) Proposed Rules Page 31788-31807;

http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-PEST/2008/June/Day-04/p12374.htm

10.

Proposed date of adoption: N/A

11.

Proposed date of entry into force: This is a proposed rule which may or may not result in further regulatory action.

12.

Final date for comments: Comments must be received on or before 4 August 2008, and may be identified by docket number EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0232.

Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [   ] National notification authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:

Registration Division, (7505P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001

13.

Texts available from: [ X ] National notification authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:

United States SPS National Notification Authority, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, International Regulations and Standards Division (IRSD), Stop 1027, Washington D.C. 20250; Tel: +(1 202) 720 1301; Fax: +(1 202) 720 0433; E-mail: [email protected]