DECLARATION OF AREA FREE FROM LARGE AVOCADO SEED WEEVILS (HEILIPUS LAURI), SMALL AVOCADO SEED
WEEVILS (CONOTRACHELUS AGUACATAE AND C. PERSEAE)
AND AVOCADO SEED MOTHS (STENOMA CATENIFER)
COMMUNICATION FROM
MEXICO
The following
communication, dated 4 February 2014, is being circulated at the request of the delegation of Mexico.
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1. Pursuant
to Article 7 of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary
Measures and paragraph 3(b) of Annex B thereto, Mexico hereby advises WTO Members
that the Decision declaring the municipality of Tochimilco, Puebla, to be an
area free from the large avocado seed weevil (Heilipus lauri), the small avocado seed weevil (Conotrachelus aguacatae and C. perseae) and the avocado
seed moth (Stenoma catenifer), was
published in the Diario Oficial de la
Federación (Mexican Official Journal) on 27 January 2014.
2. The
notified Decision declares the municipality of Tochimilco, Puebla, to be an
area free from the large avocado seed weevil (Heilipus lauri), the small avocado seed weevil (Conotrachelus aguacatae and C. perseae) and the avocado seed moth (Stenoma catenifer) in accordance with
the procedures indicated in Mexican Official Standard NOM‑066‑FITO‑2002
establishing specifications for the phytosanitary management and movement of
avocados, and Mexican Official Standard NOM‑069‑FITO‑1995 on the establishment
and recognition of pest‑free areas, following the introduction of phytosanitary
measures to determine the absence of these pests based on phytosanitary status
assessments.
3. The Decision was published in order to ensure
that the municipality of Tochimilco, Puebla, remains free from the large
avocado seed weevil (Heilipus lauri),
the small avocado seed weevil (Conotrachelus
aguacatae and C. perseae)
and the avocado seed moth (Stenoma catenifer),
and that the phytosanitary
measures to maintain and protect areas free from these pests, as set out in point
4, first paragraph, and points 4.4.4, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.5.3, 4.8.1, 4.8.2, 4.8.3,
and 4.8.4 of Mexican Official Standard NOM‑066‑FITO‑2002 establishing
specifications for the phytosanitary management and movement of avocados, and
point 4.4(c), (d) and (f) of Mexican Official Standard NOM‑069‑FITO‑1995 on
the establishment and recognition of pest‑free areas, are applied.
4. The
recognition of the municipality of Tochimilco, Puebla, as an area free from the
large avocado seed weevil (Heilipus lauri),
the small avocado seed weevil (Conotrachelus
aguacatae and C. perseae)
and the avocado seed moth (Stenoma catenifer) will contribute to the objective of improving
the phytosanitary status of avocado‑growing areas in Mexico and strengthen the domestic
and international avocado trade.
5. The Decision is available in Spanish at http://www.dof.gob.mx and http://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5330829&fecha=27/01/2014, or from the National
Enquiry Point (normasomc@economia.gob.mx).
6. Lastly, Mexico wishes to state that
this communication is being made for the purposes of transparency, without
prejudice to the country's rights and obligations under the SPS Agreement.