1.

Notifying Member: United States of America

If applicable, name of local government involved:  

2.

Agency responsible: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

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): Poultry

4.

Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:

[X]     All trading partners  

[ ]       Specific regions or countries:  

5.

Title of the notified document: Proposed Rule: National Poultry Improvement Plan and Auxiliary Provisions (Docket No. APHIS-2011-0101)  Language(s): English  Number of pages: 31

http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2011-0101-0003

6.

Description of content: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing to amend the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP, the Plan) and its auxiliary provisions by removing the descriptions of specific tests and sanitation procedures from the regulations. Instead, we would require tests to be performed and sanitation to be maintained in a manner approved by the Administrator. Approved procedures would be listed in an NPIP Program Standards document, which we would make available on the NPIP Web site. In addition, we are proposing to establish new compartment classifications for defined subpopulations of primary breeding turkeys, primary egg-type chickens, and primary meat-type chickens. We would also provide new or modified sampling and testing procedures for Plan participants and participating flocks. The proposed changes were voted on and approved by the voting delegates at the Plan's 2010 and 2012 National Plan Conferences. These changes would streamline the provisions of the Plan, keep those provisions current with changes in the poultry industry, and provide for the use of new sampling and testing procedures.

Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 18, Tuesday, 28 January 2014, pages 4538-4567.

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.

Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:

[ ]       Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex standard or related text)  

[X]     World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic Animal Health Code, chapter number)  

[ ]       International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)  

[ ]       None

Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard? 

[X] Yes   [ ] No

If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the international standard:  

9.

Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:    

10.

Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy): Not applicable

Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy): Not applicable

11.

Proposed date of entry into force: [ ] Six months from date of publication, and/or (dd/mm/yy): Not applicable

[X]     Trade facilitating measure  

12.

Final date for comments: [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the notification and/or (dd/mm/yy): 31 March 2014

Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [ ] National Notification Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e?mail address (if available) of other body:

You may submit comments by either of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to

http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2011-0101-0001.

Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to

Docket No. APHIS-2011-0101,

Regulatory Analysis and Development,

PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8,

4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale,

MD 20737-1238.

Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2011-0101.

For further information contact:

Dr Denise Brinson,

DVM, Acting Director,

National Poultry Improvement Plan,

VS, APHIS, USDA,

1506 Klondike Road, Suite 101, Conyers,

GA 30094-5104;

+(1 770) 922 3496.

13.

Texts available from: [X] National Notification Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point. 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 1014, Washington D.C. 20250;

Tel: +(1 202) 720 1301;

 Fax: +(1 202) 720 0433;

E-mail: us.spsenquirypoint@fas.usda.gov