Annex

ANNEX II

Protocol for sampling and testing U.S. long grain rice shipments before export from the United States of America to the European Community

Sampling. Each consignment (lot) of U.S. long grain rice to be shipped to Europe shall be officially sampled by USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) personnel in accordance with established sampling procedures. These procedures appear in GIPSA's Rice Inspection Handbook, Chapter 2, Sampling.

The size of the original bulk sample shall be in accordance with Commission Recommendation 2004/787/EC. GIPSA personnel shall prepare a representative 2,5 kg lot composite sample for the testing laboratory and will retain an identical 2,5 kg file sample. GIPSA will apply a seal to the laboratory sample and record the seal number for future reference.

Testing. The applicant for service shall forward the sealed sample to one of the commercial testing laboratories participating successfully in the LibertyLink rice proficiency program administered by GIPSA and listed at this location: http://archive.gipsa.usda.gov/rdd/llriceprof.pdf Each laboratory tests pools of samples within its verified detection level to achieve a 0,01 per cent level of detection.

The laboratory shall record the seal number, break the seal, and test four 240 gram samples taken from the single laboratory sample. One extraction will be made from each sample. Two PCR analyses shall be made for each extraction using the 35S:BAR method developed by Bayer CropScience and verified by both GIPSA and the JRC. The lot shall be considered negative only when all sample results are negative.

Reporting. The laboratory shall report results, and the GIPSA seal number, on the lab report, and provide it to the applicant for service. The applicant shall provide the lab report to the GIPSA office that sampled the lot. GIPSA will issue an official document as follows, and provide it to the applicant:

‘GIPSA officially sampled the lot of rice identified as (specify lot identification) and applied seal number (enter seal number). (Enter lab name), who participates in the LibertyLink rice proficiency program administered by GIPSA, tested a sample identified with this seal number and did not detect LibertyLink rice based on the verified 35S:BAR method. The lab report is attached.’’