1.

Notifying Member: United States of America

If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2): 

2.

Agency responsible: Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Department of Agriculture (USDA) [1072]

Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:

Please submit comments to: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point

Email: usatbtep@nist.gov

3.

Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [ ], 5.6.2 [ ], 5.7.1 [ ], other:

4.

Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Organic food. Food products in general (ICS: 67.040)

5.

Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: National Organic Program (NOP); Sunset 2016 Amendments to the National List (5 pages, in English)

6.

Description of content: This proposed rule would address recommendations submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) following their April 2015 meeting. These recommendations pertain to the 2016 Sunset Review of substances on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List). Consistent with the recommendations from the NOSB, this proposed rule would remove five non-organic nonagricultural substances from the National List for use in organic handling: Egg white lysozyme, cyclohexylamine, diethylaminoethanol, octadecylamine, and tetrasodium pyrophosphate.

7.

Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable: Protection of human health or safety; Prevention of deceptive practices and consumer protection

8.

Relevant documents: 80 Federal Register (FR) 78150, 16 December 2015; Title 7 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 205. Will appear in the Federal Register when adopted.

9.

Proposed date of adoption: To be determined

Proposed date of entry into force: To be determined

10.

Final date for comments: 16 February 2016

11.

Texts available from: National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:

https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2015/TBT/USA/15_4990_00_e.pdf