ANNOTATIONS

Item 1 Adoption of the agenda

According to the Commission's Rules of Procedure, the first item on the provisional agenda is the adoption of the agenda.

Item 2 Matters of interest arising since the thirteenth session

Document TRADE/WP.7/GE.5/2001/2 sums up the relevant outcome of the third and fourth sessions of the Committee for Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development and the fifty-fifth and fifty-sixth sessions of the Working Party on Standardization of Perishable Produce and Quality Development.

Item 3 Review of the UN/ECE standards on Early and Ware Potatoes (FFV 30, 31)

Discussion at the last session:     TRADE/WP.7/GE.1/1999/6, para 7
Document for this session:          TRADE/WP.7/GE.5/2001/3*

Delegations are invited to report on the experiences gathered in the practical application of the revised standards and if necessary make proposals for amendments. At the last session no amendments were deemed necessary.

Item 4 Definition of cooking types and eventually a colour scheme for marking of cooking types on consumer packages

Discussion at the last session:     TRADE/WP.7/GE.1/1999/6, para 23-26
Document for this session:          TRADE/WP.7/GE.5/2001/4*

Different methods of marking of the cooking type are currently used in some countries. At the last session the question was raised whether it would be useful to have a harmonized system. It was decided that proposals should be made to the next session for a definition of the different cooking types which could be mentioned in the standard. The usefulness of a colour scheme for the marking of consumer packages should be discussed on the basis of this definition.

Item 5 Comparison of inspection methods, sizing methods, sampling methods and control of "washed" potatoes

Discussion at the last session:     TRADE/WP.7/GE.1/1999/6, para 27-30

(a)       Presentation by France on methods used for inspection and sampling
(b)       Presentation by Belgium of charts used to indicate washability

The delegations of France and Belgium offered to present their methods at this session.

Item 6 Proposals for a definition for long varieties and reactions from the trade to the indicative list of long varieties of an irregular shape

Discussion at the last session:     TRADE/WP.7/GE.1/1999/6, para 13-22
Document for this session:          TRADE/WP.7/GE.5/2001/5*

Definition for long varieties

At the lst session no progress was made on this question. Delegations were invited to send proposals for a solution.

List of varieties of long varieties of irregular shape

At the last session the problem was raised of how to clarify better in the standards what is meant by �irregular shape�. Two different solutions were proposed: to draft a definition for these varieties or an indicative list. At the last session it had been concluded that in the discussion only the varieties �Stella�, �Ratte� and �Corne de Gate� had been mentioned. Delegations were invited to confront their trade with this list, explaining that it was only indicative and meant to explain what is meant by �irregular shape�. The reaction of the trade should be reported at the next session.

Item 7 Revision of the UN/ECE General Conditions of Sale for Potatoes: Review of RUCIP 2000 and a list of differences to the UN/ECE text

Discussion at the last session:     TRADE/WP.7/GE.1/1999/6, para 31-36
Document for this session:          TRADE/WP.7/GE.5/2001/6*

The UN/ECE General Conditions of Sale for Potatoes were adopted in 1973 and last revised in 1979 to facilitate trade in the ECE region. Application of the conditions is voluntary.

The RUCIP (R�gles et Usages du Commerce Intereurop�en des Pommes de Terre et les R�glements d�Expertise et d�Arbitrage du Comit� Europ�en), developed by EUROPATAT in cooperation with other organisations are widely used in trade.RUCIP was recently revised to be published under the name RUCIP 2000 at the beginning of the year 2000. The Specialized Section discussed at the last session if the UN/ECE General Conditions should be revised as well. It was decided to await the finalization of RUCIP 2000, discuss the text and maybe to consider adopting it as new UN/ECE Conditions of Sale for Potatoes. EUROPATAT offered to present a list of differences of the quality rules contained in RUCIP and the UN/ECE standards at this session.

Item 8 Information on the progress of the OECD explanatory brochure for Early and Ware potatoes

The secretariat will inform the group on this work.

Item 9 National legislation for early and ware potatoes

At the last session delegations were invited to provide their national legislation to the UN/ECE secretariat.

Item 10 Preparation of the next session