COMMENTS ON NOTIFICATION G/SPS/N/RUS/49

Communication from the European Union

The following communication, received on 7 March 2014, is being circulated at the request of the Delegation of the European Union.

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1.  The European Union (EU) acknowledges notification G/SPS/N/RUS/49 submitted by the Russian Federation, dated 4 March 2014, wherein the Russian Federation informs WTO Members of the introduction of emergency measures with regard to Poland. These measures comprise a temporary restriction on the export of live pigs and its genetic material, pork products and certain other commodities from the entire territory of Poland to the Russian Federation, as of 27 February 2014, due to the detection of the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus in Poland.

2.  The European Union deems it appropriate to voice, once again, its serious concerns with regard to the severity of the trade restrictions introduced by the Russian Federation, in particular as these go beyond the detailed international standards issued by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) on African Swine Fever and regionalisation (zoning). Therefore the European Union has decided to submit this communication along the lines of the concerns also expressed in document G/SPS/GEN/1305, which was submitted to the WTO after the Russian Federation notified similar measures against Lithuania (G/SPS/N/RUS/48).

3.  Two ASF cases were detected in Poland in wild boar on 17 and 19 February 2014 in the vicinity of the border with Belarus. Stringent measures including, inter alia, strict movement controls and biosecurity to prevent any possible spread of the disease were taken by Poland promptly, in close cooperation with the European Commission as provided for in EU legislation, and in accordance with international standards. These measures confirmed the demarcation of an infected area in Poland, which was secured in order to prevent the spread of the disease in strict accordance with the internationally recognised principle of regionalisation, as provided for by the OIE. Regionalisation has the express intention of not only preventing any further spread of disease, but of allowing trade to continue to flow from unaffected areas. Intensive ASF surveillance is also ongoing in domestic pig farms both within the infected area and outside with no infection detected to date.