Distribution date: 18 December 2019 | Final date for Comment: 16 February 2020

This Draft East African Standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods for non-absorbable surgical sutures.

Products Covered: Sterile surgical catgut, similar sterile suture materials and sterile tissue adhesives for surgical wound closure; sterile laminaria and sterile laminaria tents; sterile absorbable surgical or dental haemostatics (HS code(s): 300610); Surgical instruments and materials (ICS code(s): 11.040.30)

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 18 December 2019 | Final date for Comment: 16 February 2020

To protect human safety and health, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has approved, as an interim emergency measure, an amendment to the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code to prohibit the retail sale of foods in which total caffeine is present in a concentration of 5% or more (if the food is a solid or semi-solid food) or 1% or more (if the food is a liquid food).  This decision followed a recent death in Australia caused by ingestion of pure or highly concentrated caffeine powder. The decision is based on a risk assessment that confirmed that pure and highly concentrated caffeine food products sold at retail directly to consumers pose an immediate and acute health and safety risk. The ingestion of small amounts of pure and highly concentrated caffeinated substances can result in death or severe health effects. This interim measure comes into force in December 2019. FSANZ will review this interim emergency measure and decide within 12 months whether to affirm, amend or repeal the measure, taking into account comments by WTO members received as a result of this notification. Australia is notifying this interim measure under both TBT and SPS Agreements as caffeine cannot be considered to be an additive for the purposes of the SPS Agreement in relation to all food stuffs – such as pure caffeine products in which it is the primary ingredient. The latter would be covered the TBT Agreement (and not the SPS Agreement).

Products Covered: Food for retail sale in Australia in which caffeine is present at a concentration greater than: (i) 5%—if the food is a solid or semi-solid food; and (ii) 1%—if the food is a liquid food

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 19 December 2019 | Final date for Comment: 19 February 2020

This Draft East African Standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods for Monoammonium phosphate (MAP) and Diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer.

Products Covered: (HS code(s): 3101); Fertilizers (ICS code(s): 65.080)

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 19 December 2019 | Final date for Comment: 11 January 2020

This draft resolution incorporates the following changes for the active ingredient C74 - CIANTRANILIPROLE (cyantraniliprole) from the Relation of Monographies of Active Ingredients of Pesticides, Household Cleaning Products and Wood Preservers, all in the modality of foliar use (application): -includes tne onion, garlic and shallot cultures with MRL of 0,01 mg/kg and safety security period of 7 days.

Products Covered: HS Code(s): 0703; ICS Code(s): 13, 65

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 19 December 2019 | Final date for Comment: 11 January 2020

This draft resolution incorporates the following changes for the active ingredient G05 – GLUFOSINATO (glufosinate) from the Relation of Monographies of Active Ingredients of Pesticides, Household Cleaning Products and Wood Preservers:-includes the pea, chickpea, mung bean, pigeon pea, caupi bean, lima bean, green bean and lentil cultures with MRL of 0,05 mg/kg and safety security period of 5 days, in the modality of dessicant use (application);-changes the MRL from 1,5 to 2,0 mg/kg and the safety security period from 60 to 50 days of the genetically modified soya culture;-changes the phrase at item "j": "for the purpose of residue definition for conformity with MRL and for the dietary risk assessment it will be considered the sum of the active ingridient glufosinate-ammonium and its metabolites acid 3- (hidroximetilfosfonoil) propiônico and N-acetil-glufosinato, expressed as glufosinate".

Products Covered: HS Code(s): 071320, 070810, 071340, 07133100, 07136000, 07133990, 07133500, 07102200; ICS Code(s): 13, 65

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 19 December 2019 | Final date for Comment: 11 January 2020

This Draft resolution incorporates the following changes for the active ingredient A29 – ACETAMIPRIDO (acetamiprid) from the Relation of Monographies of Active Ingredients of Pesticides, Household Cleaning Products and Wood Preservers:-includes the pea culture with MRL of 0,1 mg/kg and safety security period of 7 days in the modality of foliar use (application);-includes the ground-nut culture with MRL of 0,1 mg/kg and safety security period of 7 days in the modality of foliar use (application);-includes the caupin bean culture with MRL of 0,1 mg/kg and safety security period of 7 days in the modality of foliar use (application);-changes the MRL of the soya culture from 0,05 to 0,06 mg/kg in the modalities of foliar and seed use (application);-changes the MRL of the ground-nut culture from 0,01 to 0,1 mg/kg in the modality of seed use (application).

Products Covered: HS Code(s): 070810, 200811, 1201, 07133500; ICS Code(s): 13, 65

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 19 December 2019 | Final date for Comment: 11 January 2020

This draft resolution incorporates the following changes for the active ingredient C55 - COMPOSTOS A BASE DE COBRE (copper hydroxide) from the Relation of Monographies of Active Ingredients of Pesticides, Household Cleaning Products and Wood Preservers, all in the modality of foliar use (application): -includes the pineapple, acai, barbados cherry, soursop, olive, sweet potato, yacon, greater yam, star fruit, Brazil nuts, shallot, cupuacu, chayote, raspberry, ginger, guarana, yams, kiwi, macadamia nuts, cassava, arracacha, mangaba, gherkin, bilberry, surinam cherry, peach palm, radish, pomegranate and purple mumbim cultures with MRL and safety security period "without restrictions" and the ornamental cultures with MRL and safety security period of "Non-food use".

Products Covered: HS Code(s): 070310, 071120, 071140, 071410, 071420, 08012, 080430, 081020, 081040, 091010, 0706, 080920, 081090, 17029040000, 071430, 13021990, 08026000, 0714900011, 081190, 0810909050, 08109010, cupuacu, acai, kiwi, mangaba ; ICS Code(s): 13, 65

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 19 December 2019 | Final date for Comment: 11 January 2020

This draft resolution incorporates the following changes for the active ingredient B26 – BIFENTRINA (bifenthrin) from the Relation of Monographies of Active Ingredients of Pesticides, Household Cleaning Products and Wood Preservers, all in the modality of foliar and seed use (application):-changes the MRL of the soya culture from 0,02 to 0,04 mg/kg.

Products Covered: HS Code(s): 1201; ICS Code(s): 13, 65

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 19 December 2019 | Final date for Comment: 11 January 2020

This draft resolution includes the active ingredient A62 Amblyseius tamatavensis in the Relation of Monographies of Active Ingredients of Pesticides, Household Cleaning Products and Wood Preservers.

Products Covered: HS Code(s): 38089910; ICS Code(s): 13, 65

Regulation Type: Regular notification

Distribution date: 19 December 2019 | Final date for Comment: 11 January 2020

This draft resolution incorporates the following changes for the active ingredient F28 – FENPROPATRINA (fenpropathrin) from the Relation of Monographies of Active Ingredients of Pesticides, Household Cleaning Products and Wood Preservers, all in the modality of foliar use (application):-includes the rice culture with MRL of 0,4 mg/kg and safety security period of 30 days;-includes the ground-nut culture with MRL of 0,01 mg/kg and safety security period of 14 days;-includes the pea culture with MRL of 0,01 mg/kg and safety security period of 14 days;-includes the caupi bean culture with MRL of 0,01 mg/kg and safety security period of 14 days.

Products Covered: HS Code(s): 1006, 200811, 070810, 07133500; ICS Code(s): 13, 65

Regulation Type: Regular notification