. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/CAN/14
15 October 2001
(01-5033)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  English/
                French
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   CANADA
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   Canadian Enquiry
Point, 200-270 Albert Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 6N7 Tel.:  +1 613 238 3222,
ext. 491, Fax.: +1 613 569 7808, E-mail: info@scc.ca
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):   Saltfish (ICS 67.120.30)
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Proposed Amendment
to the Fish Inspection Regulations (pages 3720-3731;  English and French).
6. Description of content:   The intent of this proposed amendment to the Fish Inspection
Regulations (FIR) is to:
1. better facilitate the marketing of saltfish in the international marketplace through
the revision and updating of the sections of the FIR pertaining to saltfish and saltfish
products so that they correspond to present processing practices made possible through
technological advances in the industry, as we ll as to changes in market requirements;
2. provide the industry with flexibility to meet marketplace buyer demands and
specifications by:
(a) making the grading of saltfish voluntary, rather than mandatory,(b) revising current saltfish class, grade, size and moisture content requirement criteria
and nomenclature, and
(c) permitting greater flexibility in labelling of saltfish and saltfish products destined
for the international marketplace;
3. enhance consistency and uniformity in the grading of saltfish and saltfish productsby clearly defining styles of pack and presentation, the three classes of saltfish, and the
characteristics which describe each grade of saltfish;
4. in the process, continue to achieve appropriate levels of food safety and consumer
protection.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
Reduction of barriers to trade and protection of human health.G/TBT/N/CAN/14
Page 2
8. Relevant documents:   Canada Gazette, Part I, 29 September, 2001
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }Not stated
10. Final date for comments:   29 October 2001
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X] or address, telephone and fax
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:  The electronic
version of the Canada Gazette, Part I can be downloaded at:
http://canada.gc.ca/gazette/part1/pdf/g1-13539.pdf