G/SPS/N/AUS/288/Add.1
Page 1

World Trade
Organization
G/SPS/N/AUS/288/Add.1
10 September 2012
(12-4817)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures / Original: English

NOTIFICATION

Addendum

The following communication, received on 31 August 2012, is being circulated at the request of the Delegation of Australia.

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Queen honey bees
The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has completed a policy review of the importation of queen honey bees. Following completion of the policy review, imports of queen honey bees from approved countries will be able to resume under specific quarantine conditions, effective from 31 August 2012.
A draft policy review was issued on 29 February 2012 for a 60-day consultation period, which was extended and closed on 14 May 2012. Comments were received from 13 stakeholders.
Importation of queen honey bees will be subject to the Quarantine Act 1908, and the application of sanitary measures as specified in the importation of queen honey bees: Final policy review. A copy of the final policy review is available at: http://www.daff.gov.au/ba/memos. The policy will be taken into account by decision makers when considering import permit applications for queen honey bees in accordance with the Quarantine Act 1908 and Quarantine Proclamation 1998 as amended, effective from 31 August 2012.
DAFF considered all of the stakeholder comments and the following changes were made to produce the final policy review:
-  Small hive beetle, American foulbrood and European foulbrood were removed as hazards of biosecurity concern from Chapter 6 of the importation of queen honey bees: Final policy review titled: Requirements for the importation of queen honey bees.
-  The section on Australian emergency disease plans was rewritten to reflect the transfer of responsibility for honey bee pests and diseases from Animal Health Australia to Plant Health Australia.
This addendum concerns a:
[ ] Modification of final date for comments
[X] Notification of adoption, publication or entry into force of regulation
[X] Modification of content and/or scope of previously notified draft regulation
[ ] Withdrawal of proposed regulation
[ ] Change in proposed date of adoption, publication or date of entry into force
[ ] Other:
Comment period: (If the addendum extends the scope of the previously notified measure in terms of products and/or potentially affected Members, a new deadline for receipt of comments should be provided, normally of at least 60 calendar days. Under other circumstances, such as extension of originally announced final date for comments, the comment period provided in the addendum may vary.)
[ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the addendum to the notification and/or (dd/mm/yy): Not applicable
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:
Text available from: [ ]National Notification Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:
Texts are available at the following web address, or alternatively, from the Australian SPS Notification Point.
http://www.daff.gov.au/ba/memos
The Australian SPS Notification Point
GPO Box 858
Canberra ACT 2601
Australia
Fax: +(61 2) 6272 3678
E-mail:

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