[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 125 (Tuesday, June 30, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37353-37355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-15987]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Dispute No. WT/DS478]


WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding Indonesia--
Importation of Horticultural Products, Animals and Animal Products

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative 
(``USTR'') is providing notice that on May 20, 2015, at the request of 
the United States, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has established a 
dispute settlement panel under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the 
World Trade Organization (``WTO Agreement'') concerning certain 
measures imposed by Indonesia on the importation of horticultural 
products, animals and animal products. That request may be found at 
www.wto.org, contained in a document designated as WT/DS478/9. USTR 
invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised 
in this dispute.

DATES: Although USTR will accept any comments received during the 
course of

[[Page 37354]]

the dispute settlement proceedings, comments should be submitted on or 
before July 31, 2015 to assure timely consideration by USTR.

ADDRESSES: Public comments should be submitted electronically at 
www.regulations.gov, docket number 2014-0010. If you are unable to 
provide submissions at www.regulations.gov, please contact Sandy 
McKinzy at (202) 395-9483 to arrange for an alternative method of 
transmission.
    If (as explained below) the comment contains confidential 
information, then the comment should be submitted by fax only to Sandy 
McKinzy at (202) 395-3640.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Arthur Tsao and Kate Hadley, Assistant 
General Counsels, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 
(202) 395-6987 and (202) 395-5949, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 127(b) of the Uruguay Round 
Agreements Act (``URAA'') (19 U.S.C. 3537(b)(1)) requires that notice 
and opportunity for comment be provided after the United States submits 
or receives a request for the establishment of a WTO dispute settlement 
panel. Consistent with this obligation, USTR is providing notice that, 
at the request of the United States, a dispute settlement panel has 
been established pursuant to the WTO Dispute Settlement Understanding 
(``DSU''). The panel will hold its meetings in Geneva, Switzerland.

Major Issues Raised by the United States

    On March 18, 2015, the United States requested the establishment of 
a dispute settlement panel to examine Indonesia's wide-ranging import 
restrictions on fruits and vegetables, animal products, and other 
agricultural products. These measures include a ban on poultry and 
certain meat products and Indonesia's trade-restrictive import 
licensing regimes for horticultural products and animals and animal 
products.
    Specifically, Indonesia: (a) Imposes trade-restrictive import 
licensing regimes and related requirements on imports of horticultural 
products and of animals and animal products; (b) imposes prohibitions 
and restrictions on imports of such products; and (c) prohibits and 
restricts importation of such products when domestic production is 
deemed sufficient to fulfill domestic demand.
    The legal instruments through which Indonesia imposes and 
administers these measures include but are not limited to the following 
instruments:

    1. Regulation of the Ministry of Agriculture Number 86/
Permentan/OT.140/8/2013 Concerning Import Recommendation of 
Horticulture Products (``MOA Regulation 86/2013''), which repeals 
and replaces Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture Number 47/
Permentan/OT.140/4/2013 Concerning Recommendation on the Importation 
of Horticulture Products, which repealed and replaced Regulation of 
the Minister of Agriculture Number 60/Permentan/OT.140/9/2012;
    2. Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 16/M-DAG/PER/4/
2013 Concerning Provisions on Horticulture Product Import (``MOT 
Regulation 16/2013''), which repeals and replaces Regulation of the 
Minister of Trade Number 30/M-DAG/PER/5/2012 Concerning the 
Provisions on Import of Horticultural Products and Regulation of the 
Minister of Trade Number 60/M-DAG/PER/9/2012 Regarding Second 
Amendment of Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 30/M-DAG/
PER/5/2012 Regarding Provisions on Import of Horticultural Products;
    3. Regulation of the Ministry of Trade Number 47/M-DAG/PER/8/
2013 Concerning Amendment of Regulation of the Minister of Trade 
Number 16/M-DAG/PER/4/2013 Concerning Import Provision of 
Horticulture Product (``MOT Regulation 47/2013'');
    4. Regulation of the Ministry of Agriculture Number 139/
Permentan/PD.410/12/2014 (``MOA Regulation 139/2014'') Regarding 
Importation of Carcass, Meat, and/or Its Derivatives into the 
Territory of the Republic of Indonesia as amended by Regulation of 
the Ministry of Agriculture Number 02/Permentan/PD.410/1/2015 
Concerning Amendment of Regulation of the Ministry of Agriculture 
Number 139/Permentan/PD.410/12/2014 Regarding Importation of 
Carcass, Meat, and/or Its Derivatives into the Territory of the 
Republic of Indonesia, which repealed and replaced Regulation of the 
Ministry of Agriculture Number 84/Permentan/PD.410/8/2013 Concerning 
Importation of Carcass, Meat, Offal and/or Their Derivatives into 
the Territory of the Republic of Indonesia as amended by Regulations 
of the Ministry of Agriculture 96/Permentan/PD.410/9/2013 and 
Regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture 110/Permentan/PD.410/9/
2014, which repeals and replaces Regulation of the Minister of 
Agriculture Number 50/Permentan/OT.140/9/2011 Concerning 
Recommendation for Approval on Import of Carcasses, Meats, Edible 
Offals and/or Processed Products Thereof to Indonesian Territory as 
amended by Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture Number 63/
Permentan/OT.140/5/2013 Concerning Amendment of Regulation of the 
Minister of Agriculture Number 50/Permentan/OT.140/9/2011 Concerning 
Import Approval Recommendation of Carcass, Meat, Offal, and/or their 
Derivatives into the Territory of the Republic of Indonesia;
    5. Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 46/M-DAG/PER/8/
2013 Concerning Animal and Animal Product Import and Export 
Provision (``MOT Regulation 46/2013'') as amended by Regulation of 
the Minister of Trade No. 57/M-DAG/PER/9/2013 and by Regulation of 
the Minister of Trade 17/M-DAG/PER/3/2014, which repeals and 
replaces Regulation of the Minister of Trade Number 22/M-DAG/PER/5/
2013 Concerning Import and Export of Animals and Animal Products, 
which repealed and replaced Regulation of the Minister of Trade 
Number 24/M-DAG/PER/9/2011 Concerning Provisions on the Import and 
Export of Animal and Animal Product;
    6. Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 13 of Year 2010 
Concerning Horticulture;
    7. Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 18/2012 Concerning 
Food;
    8. Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 19/2013 Concerning 
Protection and Empowerment of Farmers;
    9. Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 18/2009 on Animal 
Husbandry and Animal Health, as amended by Law of the Republic of 
Indonesia Number 41/2014 on Amendment of Law Number 18/2009 on 
Animal Husbandry and Animal Health;
    10. Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 18/2012 Concerning 
Food; and
    11. Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 19/2013 Concerning 
Protection and Empowerment of Farmers.

    The legal instruments also include any amendments, related 
measures, or implementing measures.
    Through these measures, Indonesia appears to have acted 
inconsistently with its obligations under the General Agreement on 
Tariffs and Trade (``GATT 1994'') and the Agreement on Agriculture 
(``Agriculture Agreement''). Specifically, as further elaborated in the 
U.S. panel request, the United States asserts that Indonesia's measures 
appear to be inconsistent with WTO rules, including, inter alia, 
provisions of the GATT 1994 and the Agriculture Agreement:
    1. Article XI:1 of the GATT 1994 as these measures are 
``prohibitions or restrictions other than duties, taxes or other 
charges'' instituted or maintained on the importation of products into 
Indonesia.
    2. Article 4.2 of the Agreement on Agriculture as these measures 
are ``of the kind which have been required to be converted into 
ordinary customs duties.''

Public Comment: Requirements for Submissions

    Interested persons are invited to submit written comments 
concerning the issues raised in this dispute. Persons may submit public 
comments electronically to www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR-
2014-0010. If you are unable to provide submissions by 
www.regulations.gov, please contact Sandy McKinzy at (202) 395-9483 to 
arrange for an alternative method of transmission.
    To submit comments via www.regulations.gov, enter docket

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number USTR-2014-0010 on the home page and click ``search.'' The site 
will provide a search-results page listing all documents associated 
with this docket. Find a reference to this notice by selecting 
``Notice'' under ``Document Type'' on the left side of the search-
results page, and click on the link entitled ``Submit a Comment'' (For 
further information on using the www.regulations.gov Web site, please 
consult the resources provided on the Web site by clicking on ``How to 
Use This Site'' on the left side of the home page).
    The www.regulations.gov Web site allows users to provide comments 
by filling in a ``Type Comments'' field, or by attaching a document 
using an ``Upload File'' field. It is expected that most comments will 
be provided in an attached document. If a document is attached, it is 
sufficient to type ``See attached'' in the ``Type Comments'' field.
    A person requesting that information, contained in a comment that 
he submitted, be treated as confidential business information must 
certify that such information is business confidential and would not 
customarily be released to the public by the submitter. Confidential 
business information must be clearly designated as such and the 
submission must be marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' at the top and 
bottom of the cover page and each succeeding page. Any comment 
containing business confidential information must be submitted by fax 
to Sandy McKinzy at (202) 395-3640. A non-confidential summary of the 
confidential information must be submitted at www.regulations.gov. The 
non-confidential summary will be placed in the docket and will be open 
to public inspection.
    USTR may determine that information or advice contained in a 
comment submitted, other than business confidential information, is 
confidential in accordance with section 135(g)(2) of the Trade Act of 
1974 (19 U.S.C. 2155(g)(2)). If the submitter believes that information 
or advice may qualify as such, the submitter--
    (1) Must clearly so designate the information or advice;
    (2) Must clearly mark the material as ``SUBMITTED IN CONFIDENCE'' 
at the top and bottom of the cover page and each succeeding page; and
    (3) Must provide a non-confidential summary of the information or 
advice.
    Any comment containing confidential information must be submitted 
by fax. A non-confidential summary of the confidential information must 
be submitted at www.regulations.gov. The non-confidential summary will 
be placed in the docket and will be open to public inspection.
    Pursuant to section 127(e) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (19 
U.S.C. 3537(e)), USTR will maintain a docket on this dispute settlement 
proceeding, docket number USTR-2014-0010, accessible to the public at 
www.regulations.gov.
    The public file will include non-confidential comments received by 
USTR from the public regarding the dispute. If a dispute settlement 
panel is convened, or in the event of an appeal from such a panel, the 
following documents will be made available to the public at 
www.ustr.gov: the United States' submissions, any non-confidential 
submissions received from other participants in the dispute, and any 
non-confidential summaries of submissions received from other 
participants in the dispute. In the event that a dispute settlement 
panel is convened, or in the event of an appeal from such a panel, the 
report of the panel, and, if applicable, the report of the Appellate 
Body, will also be available on the Web site of the World Trade 
Organization at www.wto.org. Comments open to public inspection may be 
viewed at www.regulations.gov.

Juan Millan,
Assistant United States Trade Representative for Monitoring and 
Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 2015-15987 Filed 6-29-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3290-F5-P