Notifications for Morocco (123 notifications)

The notified document states that, following the occurrence of cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza affecting poultry in Denmark, imports of birds other than poultry and egg products are suspended until the country's disease-free status has been re-established. The ban does not apply to egg products that have been heat-treated to destroy the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, in accordance with WOAH recommendations. Upon importation, these products must be accompanied by a sanitary certificate and a certificate issued by the competent Danish health authorities confirming that they have been heat-treated.

Lifting of the ban on imports of birds other than poultry and egg products from Denmark In light of the measures taken by Denmark, in accordance with the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health, to eradicate all declared outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, Morocco has decided to lift the ban on imports of birds other than poultry and egg products from this country. As a result, birds other than poultry and egg products may be imported into Morocco, provided that they are accompanied by valid sanitary certificates.

Lifting of the ban on the importation of poultry and poultry products from the Netherlands In light of the measures taken by the Netherlands, in accordance with the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health, to eradicate all declared outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, Morocco has decided to lift the ban on imports of poultry and poultry products from this country. As a result, the above-mentioned products may be imported into Morocco, provided that they are accompanied by valid sanitary certificates.

Lifting of the ban on imports of poultry and poultry products from Belgium In light of the measures taken by Belgium, in accordance with the Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health, to eradicate all declared outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, Morocco has decided to lift the ban on imports of poultry and poultry products from this country. As a result, the above-mentioned products may be imported into Morocco, provided that they are accompanied by valid sanitary certificates. It should also be noted that the new sanitary certificates validated for the importation into Morocco of hatching eggs and day-old chicks from Belgium are downloadable from the ONSSA website (http://www.onssa.gov.ma).

The notified draft Order contributes to the implementation of Decree No. 2-10-473 of 7 chaoual 1432 (6 September 2011) implementing certain provisions of Law No. 28-07 on food safety, including Articles 48 and 75. Article 48 specifies that, in order to guarantee that a primary product, food product or animal feed imported for sale in Morocco presents no risk to human or animal life or health, pursuant to Article 4 of Law No. 28-07, the importer of these products must, prior to their importation, ensure that they: (1) are from a country, zone or region not subject to sanitary or phytosanitary restrictions; (2) meet the hygiene and health requirements laid down in the above-mentioned Decree and other regulations specifically concerning the product or food product; (3) come from an establishment or company that has an HACCP self-control or equivalent system in place; and (4) are accompanied by documents or other certificates required by the regulations specifically concerning the product or food product and issued by the competent authority in the country of export, certifying that the products comply with existing laws and entail no risk for human or animal life or health. In order to ensure that importers are able to fulfil the above-mentioned obligations, the notified draft Order provides for the creation of an ONSSA electronic platform for the registration of establishments that produce, process and store food products to be exported for sale on the Moroccan market. The draft Order specifies the conditions and procedures for the registration of foreign establishments by the ONSSA so that they may export food products to Morocco, with a view to streamlining conformity control procedures upon importation to better protect human health, improve information for Moroccan consumers and food traceability, prevent food fraud and ensure that the products concerned come from establishments that have G/SPS/N/MAR/99 - 2 - been registered based on their fulfilment of criteria to ensure food security, in line with the relevant regulatory provisions. Accordingly, the notified draft Order lays down: • The procedures for registering establishments that export food products to Morocco and that fall under section III of the annex to the notified draft Order. The registration of these establishments must be approved by the competent authority responsible for food safety in the country in which they are based. • The procedures for registering establishments that export food products to Morocco, other than those that fall under section III of the annex to the notified draft Order. The registration of these companies does not need to be approved by the competent authority in the country in which they are based. • The conditions for withdrawing registration.

The notified draft Decree, updating the Decree implementing Law No. 21-80, is part of the support measures for the veterinary pharmacy sector, which are intended to supply the animal husbandry sector with safe and effective veterinary products by upgrading pharmaceutical production units. The proposed draft text updates the regulatory provisions on the authorization/licensing of veterinary pharmaceutical establishments, marketing authorization for veterinary medicines, post-marketing surveillance (inspection, quality control and pharmacovigilance) and the regulatory approval of quality standards for all activities (good manufacturing and distribution practices) in line with scientific and technical developments. This draft is intended to improve the regulatory framework for veterinary medicines significantly. It reworks the form and substance of the existing text. The principal amendments proposed aim to: 1. Better position the chief pharmaceutical officers of veterinary pharmaceutical establishments in the performance, manufacture, importation and distribution of veterinary medicines; 2. Update the legal framework for marketing authorizations for veterinary medicines and introduce a regulatory basis for the Joint Commission for Marketing Authorizations; 3. Lay down the principle of setting technical standards for evaluating the operation of the establishments: good manufacturing and distribution practices; 4. Provide details on market surveillance tools (inspection, quality control and pharmacovigilance); G/SPS/N/MAR/98 - 2 - 5. Establish a legal framework for the administrative certifications required to export locally manufactured proprietary medicines (certificate of origin and free circulation (COLC), certificate of free circulation (CLC), certificate of a pharmaceutical product (CPP) and "CAT") and for the sanitary clearance of imported veterinary medicines. This draft Decree repeals Decree No. 2-82-541 of 15 March 1983 implementing Law No. 21-80 on the private practice of veterinary medicine, surgery and pharmacy.

The notified draft Decree is part of the implementation of Law No. 28-07 on food safety, enacted by Dahir No. 1.10.08 of 26 Safar 1431 (11 February 2010). It lays down the conditions and requirements to be met by feed for animals producing products for human consumption and provisions for the labelling of such feed. The aim of the notified draft is to ensure that commercial animal feed does not pose a risk to animal health or cause harmful changes to food of animal origin consumed by humans, and that it does not pose a risk to human health, while complying with international standards for the labelling of feed. Thus, the notified draft Decree: − sets out general and specific requirements for raw materials, additives and compound feeds; − lays down all obligatory labelling information, including nutrition declarations for the relevant animal species; − makes feed business operators responsible for taking all precautions to ensure that prohibited substances are not used in feed; − specifies that all labelling information must be in Arabic and possibly in one or more other languages, and that it must be understandable, visible, legible and indelible; − establishes the analytical constituents of compound feeds and the permitted tolerances; − lays down technical provisions on impurities, milk replacers, binding or denaturing feed materials, ash content and water content; − sets out the list of raw materials authorized by order of the Minister responsible for agriculture. Lastly, it should be noted that the draft Decree establishes a transitional period for its entry into force of six months from its publication in the Official Journal to enable G/SPS/N/MAR/97 - 2 - producers and importers to comply with its provisions and to allow animal feed placed on the market before its entry into force to be sold until stocks are exhausted.

Dahir No. 1-69-169 of 25 July 1969 regulating the production and marketing of seeds and seedlings, as amended and supplemented by the Dahir promulgating Law No. 1-76-472 of 19 September 1977, and in particular Articles 1, 2 and 5 thereof, provides that technical regulations defining the conditions of production, control, packaging and certification of seeds and seedlings shall be approved by an order of the Minister in charge of agriculture. Following the entry of argan varieties in the official catalogue, and to support the new programme contract for the argan sector as part of the "Generation Green 2020-2030" strategy, there is a need to amend the technical regulation on the production and control of standard argan seedlings as provided for by Order No. 2940-13 of 23 October 2013. This draft introduces amendments concerning the production of certified argan seedlings rather than standard ones.

Dahir No. 1-69-169 of 25 July 1969 regulating the production and marketing of seeds and seedlings, as amended and supplemented by the Dahir promulgating Law No. 1-76-472 of 19 September 1977, and in particular Articles 1, 2 and 5 thereof, provides that technical regulations defining the conditions of production, control, packaging and certification of seeds and seedlings shall be approved by an order of the Minister in charge of agriculture. To meet the objectives of the new "Generation Green" agricultural strategy that attaches great importance to carob tree cultivation through the expansion of areas over thousands of hectares, and to meet the needs of growers of authentic, disease-free carob seedlings, the National Office for Food Safety has developed a draft technical regulation that specifies the methods of production, control, packaging and certification of carob seedlings.

Efforts to protect the health of Moroccan livestock against contagious animal diseases are based primarily on the health measures put in place by the ONSSA to monitor and tackle these diseases. Moreover, given the diversity of pathogens and the variability of their impact on animal health, a list of notifiable contagious diseases has been established in order to standardize the measures for monitoring and combating such diseases. The list has been established by the Dahir containing Law No. 1-75-292 of 5 Chaoual 1397 (19 September 1977) on measures to protect domestic animals against contagious diseases, as supplemented and amended.

Phytosanitary measures to prevent the introduction and spread of Xylella fastidiosa in the Kingdom of Morocco The Xylella fastidiosa bacteria is a quarantine pest capable of infecting more than 664 plant species, including fruit species such as olive trees, vines, citrus and almond trees, as well as aromatic, ornamental, forest and wild species. This bacteria can also be transmitted by both infested plant material and insect vectors. It should also be noted that, at present, there is no effective or curative means of combating this bacteria, with the exception of extracting and destroying the infested plants. It is therefore necessary to protect domestic plant life against the risk of introducing this bacteria in order to avoid the potential socioeconomic and environmental impacts that Xylella fastidiosa. To that end, and in order to strengthen the national surveillance and control mechanism for Xylella fastidiosa and to protect domestic plant life, phytosanitary measures have been established to avoid the introduction and spread of Xylella fastidiosa in Morocco. The provisions of this Order do not apply to seeds or to plant products intended for human or animal consumption. The provisions on phytosanitary import measures will enter into force on 16 September 2023. https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2023/SPS/MAR/23_1872_00_f.pdf

Physical and chemical specifications for couscous and pasta Order No. 3092-22 of the Minister of Agriculture, Marine Fisheries, Rural Development, Water Resources and Forestry of 14 November 2022, establishing physical and chemical specifications for couscous and pasta, was published in Official Journal No. 7158 of 5 January 2023. NB: This Order revokes Order No. 250596 of the Minister of Agriculture and Agricultural Development of 9 Chaabane 1417 (20 December 1996) on the manufacture and marketing of pasta and couscous. https://www.onssa.gov.ma/reglementation-sectorielle-produits-alimentaires-2/ https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2023/SPS/MAR/23_1288_00_f.pdf

Article 5 of Decree No. 2-22-136 of 17 May 2022 on the quality and safety of marketed couscous and pasta provides for the establishment of physical and chemical specifications by order. The provisions of the notified draft Order aim primarily to establish the physical and chemical specifications for couscous and pasta provided for by that Decree, in particular those relating to: − moisture content; − ash content; and − protein content.

Projet d'arrêté conjoint du ministre de l'agriculture, de la pêche maritime, du développement rural et des eaux et forêts et du ministre de la santé et de la protection sociale modifiant et complétant l'arrêté conjoint du ministre de l'agriculture, de la pêche maritime, du développement rural et des eaux et forêts et du ministre de la santé n° 2300-17 du 11 moharrem 1440 (21 septembre 2018) fixant les caractéristiques d'efficacité, de toxicité et de pureté des produits de nettoyage et de désinfection et les conditions de leur utilisation dans les établissements et entreprises du secteur alimentaire et du secteur de l'alimentation animale (Draft Joint Order of the Minister for Agriculture, Marine Fisheries, Rural Development and Water Resources and Forestry and the Minister for Health and Social Protection amending and supplementing Joint Order No. 2300-17 of 11 moharrem 1440 (21 September 2018) of the Minister for Agriculture, Marine Fisheries, Rural Development and Water Resources and Forestry and the Minister for Health establishing the characteristics of cleaning and disinfection products in terms of performance, toxicity and purity, and the conditions governing the use of these products in establishments and businesses in the food and animal feed sectors) This corrigendum aims to correct the information contained sections 3, 5 and 6 of notification G/SPS/N/MAR/90, circulated on 2 November 2022. 3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable): Cleaning products and disinfectants and the conditions governing the use of these products in establishments and businesses in the food and animal feed sectors 5. Title of the notified document: Projet d'arrêté conjoint du ministre de l'agriculture, de la pêche maritime, du développement rural et des eaux et forêts et du ministre de la santé et de la protection sociale modifiant et complétant l'arrêté conjoint du ministre de l'agriculture, de la pêche maritime, du développement rural et des eaux et forêts et du ministre de la santé n° 2300-17 du 11 moharrem 1440 (21 septembre 2018) fixant les caractéristiques d'efficacité, de toxicité et de pureté des produits de nettoyage et de désinfection et les conditions de leur utilisation dans les établissements et entreprises du secteur alimentaire et du secteur de l'alimentation animale (Draft Joint Order of the Minister for Agriculture, Marine Fisheries, Rural Development and Water Resources and Forestry and the Minister for Health and Social Protection amending and supplementing Joint Order No. 2300-17 of 11 moharrem 1440 (21 September 2018) of the Minister for Agriculture, Marine Fisheries, Rural Development and Water Resources and Forestry and the Minister for Health establishing the characteristics of cleaning and disinfection products in terms of performance, toxicity and purity, and the conditions governing the use of these products in establishments and businesses in the food and animal feed sectors) Language(s): French Number of pages: 5 G/SPS/N/MAR/90/Corr.1 - 2 - https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2022/SPS/MAR/22_8068_00_f.pdf 6. Description of content: Joint Order No. 2300-17 of the Minister for Agriculture, Marine Fisheries, Rural Development and Water Resources and Forestry and the Minister for Health, published in 2018, establishing the characteristics of cleaning and disinfection products in terms of performance, toxicity and purity, and the specifications and conditions governing the use of these products in establishments and businesses in the food and animal feed sectors, contains, in Annex I, a list of the substances that can be used in cleaning and/or disinfection products for establishments and businesses in the food and animal feed sectors. In view of developments regarding the registration of new substances used in cleaning and disinfection products in the livestock sector and the agri-food industry, it is necessary to update Order No. 2300-17. As part of efforts to streamline procedures in accordance with the provisions of Law No. 55-19, and in order to make the existing procedure more flexible and to speed up the registration process for the substances listed in Annex I, the notified draft Joint Order proposes that the list be updated on a regular basis by the Director-General of ONSSA and published on the ONSSA website. The notified draft Joint Order also proposes that pictograms for personal protective equipment be added to the information required on product labels.

Suspension de l'importation des oiseaux autres que la volaille et ovoproduits à partir du Danemark (Import suspension of birds other than poultry and egg products from Denmark) This corrigendum aims to correct the information contained sections 3, 5 and 6 of notification G/SPS/N/MAR/92, circulated on 25 November 2022. 3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable): Birds other than poultry and egg products 5. Title of the notified document: Suspension de l'importation des oiseaux autres que la volaille et ovoproduits à partir du Danemark (Import suspension of birds other than poultry and egg products from Denmark) Language(s): French Number of pages: 6. Description of content: The notified document states that, following reports of a number of cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza affecting poultry in Denmark, imports from that country of birds other than poultry and egg products have been suspended. The ban does not apply to egg products that have been heat-treated to destroy the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, in accordance with OIE recommendations. Upon importation, these products must be accompanied by a sanitary certificate and a certificate issued by the relevant Danish health authorities confirming that they have been heat-treated.

The notified document states that, following reports of a number of cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza affecting poultry in Denmark, imports from that country of poultry, birds other than poultry, eggs and egg products have been suspended. The ban does not apply to egg products that have been heat-treated to destroy the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, in accordance with OIE recommendations. Upon importation, these products must be accompanied by a sanitary certificate and a certificate issued by the relevant Danish health authorities confirming that they have been heat-treated.

The notified draft decree, implementing Law No. 34-18 on plant protection products, sets out the arrangements for the introduction of the national phytopharmacovigilance plan and for the assessment and processing of: 1. applications for the approval of active substances, safeners and synergists; 2. applications for marketing authorization for plant protection products and adjuvants; 3. applications for authorization to conduct experimentation activities involving plant protection products and adjuvants; and 4. applications for authorization to engage in the manufacturing, repackaging, importation, and wholesale and retail distribution of plant protection products and adjuvants, and to provide services pertaining to their use. The notified draft decree establishes the content of the files that are to accompany the above-mentioned applications, and the procedure for assessing and processing applications. It also describes the decisions that may be taken in light of the outcome and conclusions of the assessment and processing of applications, and sets out the reasons for withdrawing the approval and authorization given under Law No. 34-18 and its implementing texts. In addition, the decree establishes the control procedures to be followed by authorized ONSSA officials when investigating and recording infringements committed during the importation, manufacture, repackaging, distribution, sale, putting up for sale and warehousing of plant protection products and adjuvants, and during activities pertaining thereto. G/SPS/N/MAR/91 - 2 -

Joint Order No. 2300-17 of the Minister for Agriculture, Marine Fisheries, Rural Development and Water Resources and Forestry and the Minister for Health, published in 2018, establishing the characteristics of cleaning products in terms of performance and purity, and the specifications and conditions governing the use of these products in establishments and businesses in the food and animal feed sectors, contains, in Annex I, a list of the substances that can be used in cleaning and disinfection products for establishments and businesses in the food and animal feed sectors. In view of developments regarding the registration of new substances used in cleaning and disinfection products in the livestock sector and the agri-food industry, it is necessary to update Order No. 2300-17. As part of efforts to streamline procedures in accordance with the provisions of Law No. 55-19, and in order to make the existing procedure more flexible and to speed up the G/SPS/N/MAR/90 - 2 - registration process for the substances listed in Annex I, the notified draft Joint Order proposes that the list be updated on a regular basis by the Director-General of ONSSA and published on the ONSSA website. The notified draft Joint Order also proposes that pictograms for personal protective equipment be added to the information required on product labels.

In view of the development of the edible salt market, particularly the emergence of new types of salt such as low-sodium and seasoning salt, technological difficulties linked to the iodization of fleur de sel and coarse salt and the implementation of the decisions of the Ministry of Health to establish as a widespread practice the iodization of salt used as an ingredient in locally produced or imported food products, it was considered necessary to revise the existing regulations. The main objectives of this draft Decree are as follows: - Define certain categories of salt placed on the market, such as salt intended for industry, seasoning salt, low-sodium salt, fleur de sel and coarse salt; - Establish the specific requirements for fleur de sel and coarse salt; - Provide for the mandatory iodization of salt intended both for direct sale to the consumer and for the food industry, with the exception of fleur de sel and coarse salt; - Provide for the mandatory iodization of edible salt used as an ingredient in imported processed food products; - Eliminate the requirement concerning the indication of iodine content on labelling; - Clearly lay out the labelling and packaging requirements for edible salt; - Set out in the Annex to the notified draft Decree the model of the logo indicating iodized salt.

The purpose of the notified draft Joint Order amending Order No. 1795-14 of 14 May 2014 is to: - Update the list of authorized food additives in order to comply with the relevant international standards; - Establish specifications for these food additives so as to prevent fraudulent practices that could pose a risk to consumer health. In addition, in the interest of transparency for the consumer, the notified draft Joint Order establishes: - A list of functional classes of food additive, on the basis of the technological purpose of the additive in the food product; - A list of food colours for which additional information must be displayed on the labelling of the food products that contain them. G/SPS/N/MAR/89 - 2 -