Required Report - public distribution

**Date:** 9/28/2006

**GAIN Report Number:** CO6013

CO6013

**Colombia**

**Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards**

**Export Certificate Report**

**2006**

**Approved by:**

![](media/image1.wmf)R. Todd Drennan

U.S. Embassy

**Prepared by:**

Alberto Restrepo

**Report Highlights:**

The government of Colombia is adapting its import certificate
requirements to comply with its commitments during the negotiations of
the Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA). Colombia claims that it will meet
the deadline on October 31 of 2006 to allow imports of all US bovine
meat products. However, until that occurs, US beef is still ineligible
to enter Colombia. The GOC has also lifted its ban on raw poultry meat
from the 10 U.S. states where AI outbreaks were recorded in the previous
two years. The FSIS export library should be modified accordingly.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Unscheduled Report

Bogota \[CO1\]

\[CO\]

Table of Contents

[**Executive Summary 3**](#executive-summary)

[Section I 3](#section-i)

[EXPORT CERTIFICATES FAIRS MATRIX - 2005
3](#export-certificates-fairs-matrix---2005)

[SECTION II -- SPECIFIC ATTESTATION REQUIRED ON THE EXPORT CERTIFICATES
4](#section-ii-specific-attestation-required-on-the-export-certificates)

[1. Processed Food Products 4](#processed-food-products)

[2. Certificates For Unprocessed Plant Products
5](#certificates-for-unprocessed-plant-products)

[3. FSIS Import Certificate Requirement for Meat and Poultry
6](#fsis-import-certificate-requirement-for-meat-and-poultry)

[4. Certification Requirements for Imports of Pet Food
12](#certification-requirements-for-imports-of-pet-food)

[5. Certification Requirements for Imports of Dairy Products
14](#certification-requirements-for-imports-of-dairy-products)

[6. Wood Packing Material 15](#wood-packing-material)

# Executive Summary

The Colombian Government requires the following certificates in order to
import food and agricultural products. All processed food products must
be registered with the Colombian Government, although no certificate is
required to accompany each shipment.

In order to import animal products and unprocessed plant products, the
importer must first request an import permit. No product should be
loaded in a vessel before the import permit is received and the required
sanitary statements are written on the USDA export certificate. The
import permit has a 90-day validity after issuance and is only valid for
one shipment. Every shipment must have an import permit and its
corresponding USDA export certificate. The agreed sanitary statements
should be written both in English and Spanish in the "remarks" section
of the export certificate or provided in an FSIS or APHIS letterhead
certificate. An APHIS veterinarian or authorized FSIS official must sign
the export certificate.

Although the government of Colombia recognizes the U.S. sanitary system,
establishments exporting animal and plant products as well as processed
products (pet food and dairy products) must be registered with ICA (the
Colombian Agricultural Institute) or Invima (the GOC agency for the
surveillance of food and medicines) to be eligible to export to
Colombia.

# Section I

## EXPORT CERTIFICATES FAIRS MATRIX - 2005

+-----------+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------+
| **P       | **Title of | *            | **Purpose**   | **Requested |
| roducts** | Cer        | *Attestation |               | by**        |
|           | tificate** | Required on  |               |             |
|           |            | C            |               |             |
|           |            | ertificate** |               |             |
+-----------+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------+
| All       | Free Sale  | The product  | The           | Invima --   |
| processed |            | is produced  | certificate   | the GOC     |
| food      | C          | and sold     | is required   | Agency for  |
| products  | ertificate | without      | for prod.     | the         |
|           |            | legal        | registration. | S           |
|           |            | restrictions | To verify     | urveillance |
|           |            | in the       | that the      | of Food and |
|           |            | national     | product is    | Medicines,  |
|           |            | territory    | sold in the   | under the   |
|           |            | (of the      | exporting     | Ministry of |
|           |            | exporting    | country and   | Social      |
|           |            | country).    | it is not a   | Protection. |
|           |            |              | product that  |             |
|           |            |              | is            |             |
|           |            |              | transshipped  |             |
|           |            |              | from a third  |             |
|           |            |              | country.      |             |
+-----------+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------+
| Un        | APHIS      | The sanitary | To guarantee  | ICA - the   |
| processed | phy        | statement is | the product   | Colombian   |
| plants    | tosanitary | different    | will not      | A           |
| and plant | c          | for each     | introduce     | gricultural |
| products  | ertificate | type of      | plant         | Institute,  |
|           | (PPQ form  | product. See | diseases or   | under the   |
|           | 577 of     | Section II   | pests, an     | Ministry of |
|           | February   | below.       | export health | Agriculture |
|           | 2001).     |              | certificate   | and Rural   |
|           |            |              | must          | D           |
|           |            |              | accompany     | evelopment. |
|           |            |              | each          |             |
|           |            |              | shipment.     |             |
+-----------+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------+
| Meat and  | Meat and   | Please see   | To guarantee  | ICA - the   |
| meat      | Poultry    | Section II   | that the      | Colombian   |
| products  | Export     | for specific | product and   | A           |
|           | C          | required     | raw materials | gricultural |
|           | ertificate | statements.  | were produced | Institute,  |
|           | of         |              | under         | under the   |
|           | Whol       |              | sanitary      | Ministry of |
|           | esomeness. |              | conditions    | Agriculture |
|           |            |              | under the     | and Rural   |
|           | FSIS Form  |              | supervision   | D           |
|           | 9060-5 of  |              | of FSIS. This | evelopment. |
|           | 7/19/01.   |              | is required   |             |
|           |            |              | for each      |             |
|           |            |              | shipment.     |             |
+-----------+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------+
| **P       | **Title of | *            | **Purpose**   | **Requested |
| roducts** | Cer        | *Attestation |               | by**        |
|           | tificate** | Required on  |               |             |
|           |            | C            |               |             |
|           |            | ertificate** |               |             |
+-----------+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------+
| Pet food  | APHIS      | See below    | To guarantee  | ICA - the   |
|           | Export     | for the      | the product   | Colombian   |
|           | C          | agreed       | will not      | A           |
|           | ertificate | statement of | introduce     | gricultural |
|           | VS form    | May 2005.    | animal        | Institute,  |
|           | 16-4 of    |              | diseases into | under the   |
|           | March      |              | Colombia and  | Ministry of |
|           | 2004.      |              | the raw       | Agriculture |
|           |            |              | materials     | and Rural   |
|           |            |              | were produced | D           |
|           |            |              | under         | evelopment. |
|           |            |              | sanitary      |             |
|           |            |              | conditions.   |             |
|           |            |              | Required for  |             |
|           |            |              | each          |             |
|           |            |              | shipment.     |             |
+-----------+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------+
| Dairy     | APHIS      | See Section  | To guarantee  | ICA - the   |
| products  | Export     | II below for | the product   | Colombian   |
|           | C          | the agreed   | will not      | A           |
|           | ertificate | statement of | introduce     | gricultural |
|           | VS form    | February     | animal        | Institute,  |
|           | 16-4 of    | 2005.        | diseases into | under the   |
|           | March      |              | Colombia and  | Ministry of |
|           | 2004.      |              | the raw       | Agriculture |
|           |            |              | materials     | and Rural   |
|           |            |              | were produced | D           |
|           |            |              | under         | evelopment. |
|           |            |              | sanitary      |             |
|           |            |              | conditions.   |             |
|           |            |              | Required for  |             |
|           |            |              | each          |             |
|           |            |              | shipment.     |             |
+-----------+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------+
| Wood      | Seal       | None. Just   | Compliance    | ICA - the   |
| packing   | stamped in | the          | with wood     | Colombian   |
| material  | the wood   | verification | packing       | A           |
|           | products   | that the     | material      | gricultural |
|           | showing    | product      | directive     | Institute,  |
|           | that it    | carries the  | under the     | under the   |
|           | was        | required     | International | Ministry of |
|           | treated in | seal.        | Plant         | Agriculture |
|           | accordance |              | Protection    | and Rural   |
|           | with       |              | Convention    | D           |
|           | int        |              | (IPPC).       | evelopment. |
|           | ernational |              |               |             |
|           | c          |              |               |             |
|           | onventions |              |               |             |
+-----------+------------+--------------+---------------+-------------+

# SECTION II -- SPECIFIC ATTESTATION REQUIRED ON THE EXPORT CERTIFICATES 

## 

## 1. Processed Food Products

**Free Sale Certificate for Processed Food Products.** The Colombian
Institute for the Surveillance of Food and Medicines (Invima) requires
this certificate for registration of food products. The document does
not need to accompany individual shipments. All processed food products
must be registered. The free sale certificate is valid for the time the
product is registered or a maximum of 10 years.

Invima is an agency under the Ministry of the Social Protection that
supervises food safety, much as FDA does in the United States. This
certificate must be issued by a sanitary agency stating that the product
is apt for human consumption and is being produced and sold without
legal restrictions in the national territory of the exporting country.

The free sale certificate has caused exporters of U.S. processed food
problems as it consists of a statement that the products are freely sold
in the United States and it is not customarily issued by the local,
state or federal agencies. The exporters have usually resorted to the
state departments of agriculture or the state public health agency to
provide a certificate on the official stationary signed by an officer
following the indications given by the importer in Colombia and/or the
attorney who was empowered by the exporter to conduct the product
registration process with Invima.

Invima does not have an established standard language for free sale
certificates, but it must contain basically two statements: the product
is apt for human consumption and it is freely sold in the national
territory of the producing/exporting country. Exporters are required to
provide the same information as Colombian producers. The **Free Sale
Certificate for Processed Food Products** issued by Invima for domestic
products contains the following information and is printed on Invima's
official stationary:

*Folder number for the case*

*Identification number for the case*

*Date*

*Product (a detailed description of the product and its presentations)*

*Brand (registered brand or brands)*

*Sanitary registration number*

*Expiration date of the product registration*

*Authorization to produce and sell (this specific product(s))*

*Issued by Invima*

*Colombian owner of the registration and address*

*Producer(s) name and address*

*Statement: "the undersigned Deputy Director of Sanitary Registration at
Invima certifies that this product is authorized to be freely
commercialized without legal restrictions for human consumption in the
national territory"*

*Issued in Bogota on (date) as requested by the legal representative or
the empowered* *attorney of the register owner.*

If there is a mistake in this document, the legal representative or the
empowered attorney may request a correction during the 5-day period
after the delivery of this document.

*Note: The use of the information contained in this certificate is the
exclusive responsibility of the registered owner.*

*This certificate is valid only in its original and for the period of
validity of product registration.*

*Signed by*

*Title*

\-\-\-\-\-\--

The certificate of free sale issued abroad must carry an "apostille"
seal per the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961 or be notarized by a
Colombian consulate. The product registration has a validity of 10 years
and can be renewed by submitting the required supporting documents,
including this one. If the certificate of free sale is written in a
language other than Spanish, it has to be translated by a recognized
official translator.

## 

## 2. Certificates For Unprocessed Plant Products

Importers must obtain an import permit from ICA (the Colombian
Agricultural Institute) in order to import plant and animal products. No
product should be loaded on a vessel before the import permit is
received and the required sanitary statements are written on the USDA
export certificate. The import permit has a 90-day validity after
issuance and is only valid for one shipment. Every shipment must be
accompanied of an import permit and its corresponding USDA export
certificate

An APHIS plant health certificate (PPQ form 577 of February 2001)
containing the required sanitary statements for the specific product
must accompany shipments of unprocessed plants and plant products. The
required sanitary statements should be written both in English and
Spanish in the "remarks" section of the export certificate or provided
on an APHIS letterhead certificate. An APHIS veterinarian or equivalent
must sign the export certificate. ICA has established specific
registration requirements for importers of seeds, fruit and ornamental
reproductive materials.

## 3. FSIS Import Certificate Requirement for Meat and Poultry

An FSIS certificate must accompany each shipment of meat and poultry
and/or products. Colombia accepts imports from all FSIS-approved plants.
During the TPA negotiations, Colombia agreed to allow the imports of
bovine meat and products without age restrictions no later than October
31, 2006. However, since Colombia has not officially changed its import
requirements, for purposes of this report, beef and beef products are
still considered ineligible products. Colombia has also agreed to allow
uncooked poultry imports from the ten states previously banned because
of AI. As noted above for unprocessed plant products, importers are also
required to have an import permit before importing meat and poultry
products.

Meat and Poultry Export Certificate of Wholesomeness (FSIS form 9060-5
of 7/19/2001)\
\
Linked FSIS letterhead certificates are available in PDF Only.\
\
**Eligible/Ineligible Products**

A. Eligible

1.  Pork and pork products.

2.  Protein-free tallow (0.15% maximum insoluble impurities), products
    derived from protein-free tallow and gelatin and collagen
    exclusively obtained from hides and skins.

3.  Poultry and poultry products.

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A.  Ineligible (due to SPS restrictions)

    1.  Bovine meat and products.

    2.  Goat and sheep and by-products thereof including meat and bone
        meal, concentrated animal feeds and any mammalian protein for
        animal feed.

    3.  Poultry-meat meals.

**Labeling Requirements**

A.  In addition to U.S. labeling requirements, the following information
    must appear on the carton:

    1.  Name of the product

    2.  List of ingredients (if a multi-ingredient product)

    3.  Net weight (in metric units. May be in English only)

    4.  Producer name and address (May be in English only)

    5.  Country of origin

    6.  Lot number (May be in English only)

    7.  Expiration date (day/month/year format. May be in English only)

    8.  Conditions of storage

    9.  Date of packaging\*

**Packaging Requirements**\*

A.  Meat and poultry products must be packaged in strapped cartons.

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B.  Shipping containers must be sealed; commercial seals are acceptable.

**1. Documentation Requirements and sanitary certifications:**

A.  Raw poultry meat and products - Obtain FSIS Form 9060-5, Meat and
    Poultry Export Certificate of Wholesomeness. Additionally, the
    following statements must be typed in the \"Remarks\" section or
    provided on a [FSIS letterhead
    certificate](http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/colpoul.pdf):

    1.  \- The meat comes from poultry that was born, bred, and fattened
        in the US or Canada. / *La carne procede de aves nacidas,
        criadas, y cebadas en EE.UU. o Canadá.*

    2.  \- The US meets OIE standards for Avian Influenza surveillance
        and the poultry farms have demonstrated the absence of infection
        with notifiable avian influenza with a verifiable system of
        serologic surveillance. / *EE.UU. cumple con los estándares de
        la OIE sobre vigilancia de influenza aviar y las granjas
        avícolas han demostrado la ausencia de infección de influenza
        aviar notificable con un sistema verificable de vigilancia
        serológica.*

    3.  \- The fresh or frozen poultry or poultry products were derived
        from a State free of velogenic Newcastle disease and notifiable
        avian influenza in poultry (as defined by the OIE). / *La carne
        fresca o congelada de aves de corral o los productos avícolas
        provienen de un Estado libre de la Enfermedad de Newcastle
        velogénico y de influenza aviar notificable en aves de corral
        (tal como las define la OIE).*

    4.  \- The slaughter or processing plants where the poultry products
        were produced and/or processed meet the necessary conditions
        established by FSIS, and are officially authorized and operate
        under the supervision of the competent authority in the US,
        whose system is recognized as equivalent by the Colombian
        competent authority. / *Las plantas de sacrificio o de
        procesamiento en las cuales los productos avícolas fueron
        producidos y/o procesados cumplen con las condiciones necesarias
        establecidas por FSIS, y están oficialmente autorizadas y operan
        bajo la supervisión de la autoridad competente en EE.UU., cuyo
        sistema es reconocido como equivalente por la autoridad*
        *colombiana competente.*

    5.  \- The means of transport and the management, storage, and
        shipping conditions of the products meet the hygiene
        requirements of the U.S., including necessary precautions to
        avoid product contamination. / *Los medios de transporte y las
        condiciones de manipulación, almacenamiento, y transporte de los
        productos cumplen con los requerimientos de higiene de* *EE.UU.,
        incluyendo las precauciones necesarias para evitar la
        contaminación del producto.*

    6.  \- The product has been packed and labeled with the name and
        address of the plant where the product was processed and
        officially inspected. / *El producto ha sido empacado y rotulado
        con el nombre y la dirección de la planta en la cual el producto
        fue procesado y oficialmente inspeccionado.*

    7.  \- The meat is fit for human consumption. / *La carne es apta
        para el consumo humano.*

B.  Cooked poultry meat products- Obtain FSIS Form 9060-5, Meat and
    Poultry Export Certificate of Wholesomeness. Additonally, the
    following statements must be typed in the \"Remarks\" section or
    provided on an [FSIS letterhead
    certificate](http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/uncookedcert.pdf):

1\. - The meat comes from poultry that was born, bred, and fattened in
the US or Canada. / *La carne procede de aves nacidas, criadas y cebadas
en EE.UU. o Canadá.*

2\. - The US meets OIE standards for Avian Influenza surveillance and
the poultry farms have demonstrated the absence of infection with
notifiable avian influenza with a verifiable system of serologic
surveillance. / *EE.UU. cumple con los estándares de la OIE sobre
vigilancia de influenza aviar y las granjas avícolas han demostrado la
ausencia de infección de influenza aviar notificable con un sistema
verificable de vigilancia serológica.*

3\. - The fresh or frozen poultry or poultry products were derived from
a State free of velogenic Newcastle disease and notifiable avian
influenza in poultry (as defined by the OIE). / *La carne fresca o
congelada de aves de corral o los productos avícolas provienen de un
Estado libre de la Enfermedad de Newcastle velogénico y de influenza
aviar notificable en aves de corral (tal como las define la OIE).*

4\. - The slaughter or processing plants where the poultry products were
produced and/or processed meet the necessary conditions established by
FSIS, and are officially authorized and operate under the supervision of
the competent authority in the US, whose system is recognized as
equivalent by the Colombian competetent authority. / *Las plantas de
sacrificio o de procesamiento en las cuales los productos avícolas
fueron producidos y/o procesados cumplen con las condiciones necesarias
establecidas por FSIS, y están oficialmente autorizadas y operan bajo la
supervisión de la autoridad competente en EE.UU., cuyo sistema es
reconocido como equivalente por la autoridad colombiana competente.*

5\. - The means of transport and the management, storage, and shipping
conditions of the products meet the hygiene requirements of the U.S.,
including necessary precautions to avoid product contamination. / *Los
medios de transporte y las condiciones de manipulación, almacenamiento,
y transporte de los productos cumplen con los requerimientos de higiene
de EE.UU., incluyendo las precauciones necesarias para evitar la
contaminación* *del producto.*

6\. - The product has been packed and labelled with the name and address
of the plant where the product was processed and officially inspected. /
*El producto* *ha sido empacado y rotulado con el nombre y la dirección
de la planta en la cual el producto fue procesado y oficialmente
inspeccionado*.

7\. - The meat is fit for human consumption. / *La carne es apta para el
consumo humano.*

> 8\. - The cooked poultry products have been heat processed in a manner
> sufficient to destroy the avian influenza and Newcastle disease
> viruses, by cooking to a core temperature of 70 degrees C for 5
> seconds. / *Los productos de carne cocida han sido procesados
> térmicamente de forma suficiente para destruir los virus de influenza
> aviar y de Newcastle, por cocción a una temperatura interna central de
> 70 grados C por 5 segundos.*

C.  Rendered Beef Fat - Obtain FSIS Form 9060-5, Meat and Poultry
    Certificate of Wholesomeness.  Additionally, the following
    statements must be typed in the \"Remarks\" section of the FSIS Form
    9060-5 or provided on FSIS Letterhead certificate:

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1.  The product consists of de-proteinized fat, and the content of non
    soluble impurities does not exceed 0.15% of its weight./ *El
    producto consiste de grasa desproteinizada y el contenido de purezas
    insolubles no excede 0.15% de su peso.*

2.  The processing plant that manufactured this product is under
    permanent official sanitary inspection./ *La planta procesadora es
    inspeccionada permanentemente por la autoridad sanitaria
    competente.*

3.  A representative sampling of the product was taken for
    microbiological testing with negative results./ *Se ha tomado una
    muestra representativa del producto para análisis microbiológico con
    resultados negativos.*

4.  The manufacturing process of this product is sufficient to destroy
    pathogenic bacteria, and the packaging of the product is designed to
    prevent contamination./ *El proceso de producción es suficiente para
    destruir bacterias patogenas y su empaque está diseñado para evitar
    la contaminación.*

5.  The product doesn\'t represent any risk for animal and human health
    and is used without any restrictions in the country of origin./ *El
    producto no tiene riesgo para la salud animal y humana y es usado
    sin restricciones en el pais de origen.*

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D.  Lard and/or Pork Tissues - Obtain FSIS Form 9060-5, Meat and Poultry
    Certificate of Wholesomeness.  Additionally, the following
    statements must be typed in the \"Remarks\" section of the FSIS Form
    9060-5 or provided on an [FSIS Letterhead
    certificate](http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/colpork.pdf):

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1.  The origin country is free from Foot and Mouth Disease, swine
    vesicular disease, African swine fever, Teschen Disease, and hog
    cholera./ *El pais de origen es libre de aftosa, enfermedad
    vesicular porcina, fiebre porcina africana, enfermedad de Teschen y
    cólera porcina.*

2.  The product was obtained from animals born, raised and fed in the
    United States or Canada.*/ El producto proviene de animales nacidos,
    criados y cebados en los Estados Unidos o Canada.*

3.  The slaughtered animals came from holdings that are not under
    official quarantine or restrictive movement of animals for control
    or eradication of livestock diseases affecting swine./ *Los animales
    sacrificados vinieron de establecimientos que no estan en cuarentena
    oficial o tengan movimiento restringido de animales para el control
    o erradicación de enfermedades pecuarias que afecten a los
    porcinos.*

4.  The product was obtained from animals given both ante-mortem and
    post-mortem inspection and found to be in good health./ *El producto
    se obtuvo de animales que recibieron inspección pre y post-mortem y
    en ambos se hallo que estaban en buenas condiciones de salud.*

5.  The product was produced in a process whose temperatures exceed 100
    degrees Celsius./ *El producto se procesó bajo temperaturas que
    exceden 100 grados centígrados.*

6.  The processing plant is under official sanitary control.*/ La planta
    procesadora está bajo control sanitario oficial.*

7.  Microbiological tests done on dehydrated representative samples of
    the product were negative for pathogens./ *Las pruebas
    microbiológicas hechas a muestras representativas deshidratadas del
    producto mostraron negatividad a patógenos.*

8.  This product is consumed without restrictions in the exporting
    country and therefore it does not represent a risk (of infection)
    for human and animal health./ *Este producto se consume sin
    restricciones en el pais exportador y por lo tanto, no representa un
    riesgo (de infección) para la salud animal y humana.*

> E. Fresh/frozen pork and pork meat products - Obtain FSIS Form 9060-5,
> Meat and Poultry Export Certificate of Wholesomeness. Additionally,
> the following statements must be typed in the \"Remarks\" section of
> the FSIS Form 9060-5 or provided on an FSIS [letterhead
> certificate](http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/porkcolombia.pdf):

1.  The meat was derived from animals which were at least three (3)
    months in the U.S. or Canada or since birth in the case of animals
    less than three months old. / *La carne proviene de animales que han
    estado al menos tres (3) meses en los Estados Unidos o Canada, o
    desde su nacimiento en caso de animales con menos de 3 meses de
    edad.*

2.  The slaughtered animals come from establishments which are not under
    official quarantine or restrictive movement of animals for control
    or eradication of livestock diseases. / *Los animales sacrificados
    provienen de establecimientos que no estan en cuarentena oficial o
    con movimiento restringido de animales con el proposito de controlar
    o erradicar enfermedades del ganado.*

3.  Transport, handling and loading conditions meet the hygiene
    requirements of the U.S. / *Las condiciones de manejo, cargue y
    transporte reunen los requerimientos higienicos de los Estados
    Unidos.*

4.  The animals have been slaughtered under hygienic conditions, and the
    carcasses have been refrigerated to 2-6 degrees Celsius (32-42
    degrees Fahrenheit) prior to cutting. */ Los animales fueron
    sacrificados en condiciones higienicas y las canales se refrigeraron
    a temperaturas entre 2 y 6 grados centigrados (32-42 grados
    Fahrenheit) antes de su procesamiento.*

5.  The meat or meat packages are marked with the establishment number
    of the producing establishment. */ La carne o los paquetes estan
    identificados con el numero del establecimiento que los produjo.*

6.  The meat was produced according to the U.S. Pathogen Reduction/HACCP
    Systems regulation. */ La carne se produjo de acuerdo con las normas
    del sistema de los Estados Unidos para la reduccion de
    patogenos/HACCP (Analisis de Riesgo y Control de Puntos Criticos).*

7.  The meat was received from the slaughter and processing of
    clinically healthy swine, which originate from premises and
    localities free from infectious animal diseases, including swine
    vesicular disease and African swine fever. */ La carne provino del
    sacrificio y procesamiento de cerdos clinicamente sanos que se
    originaron en granjas y localidades libres de enfermedades animales
    infecciosas, incluidas la enfermedad vesicular del cerdo y la fiebre
    porcina africana.*

8.  The products were subject to a freezing process or other process
    that guarantees the destruction of the parasite (Trichinella
    spiralis). */ Los productos fueron sometidos a proceso de
    congelamiento u otros procesos que garantizan la destruccion del
    parasito (Trichinella spiralis).*

F. Additional certification requirements:

1.  The following statement must be provided by the exporter or agent on
    company letterhead:\*

> The containers or transportation vehicles have been washed and
> disinfected./ *Los contenedores o vehiculos de transporte han sido
> lavados y desinfectados.*

2.  All FSIS export certificates accompanying the product must be signed
    by an FSIS veterinarian. The veterinary degree (DVM or equivalent)
    must be indicated after the signature.\*\
    \
    Note: An import license may be required, depending on the product
    and the point of entry.  Exporters are advised to check with their
    importing agent regarding this issue.

**Other Requirements**\*

A.  Colombian inspection officials will not accept product that is older
    than three months from the time of initial refrigeration or freezing
    to the time of entry into Colombia.

**Plants Eligible to Export**\
\
All federally inspected establishments are eligible to export to
Colombia.

## 

## 

## 

## 

## 4. Certification Requirements for Imports of Pet Food

The following certification statements, as applicable, should be
provided on a VS Form 16-4 for the exportation of canned, dry, or
semi-moist pet foods containing animal origin ingredients to Colombia.
Product description (product box on VS Form 16-4) should include the
species of origin for all animal origin ingredients, as well as the
nature of the product. As noted above for unprocessed plant products and
meat products, importers are required to have an import permit before
importing pet food.

Pet food exporting companies must be registered at ICA by following a
simple procedure and paying a registration fee of 36,000 pesos (\$15). A
free sale certificate and a good manufacturing practices document should
be submitted to ICA to support a registration application. The sanitary
control number as well as the official entity surveying the
manufacturing plant must be provided for the registration. The
registration is valid for three (3) years.

Below is the agreed language to include in the certificate:

The first (unnumbered) certification statement must be made by APHIS.
The remaining, numbered certification statements are to be made on the
basis of a notarized affidavit from the manufacturer.

NOTE: All required certification statements are provided in both

English and Spanish since Spanish was part of the negotiation process.
Please see

asterisked comments at the end, including \*\* pertaining to formatting.

The certified pet food products described herein are unlikely to
disseminate agents of

infectious diseases of domestic animals. *Los alimentos para mascotas
descritos en este documento no presentan posibilidad de diseminar
agentes de enfermedades infecciosas para los animales domésticos.*

This office has on file a notarized affidavit from \[company name\]
verifying the accuracy of the statements below. *Esta oficina tiene en
sus archivos una declaración juramentada de \[nombre de la compañía\]
certificando la veracidad de las afirmaciones enunciadas a
continuación:*

1\. All animal origin ingredients in dry pet food products have been
heated to a minimum internal temperature of 900C. Canned pet food
products have been treated in hermetically sealed containers with an F0
of 3.0 or more./ *Todos los ingredientes de los alimentos secos para
mascotas han sido calentados a una temperatura interna mínima de 900C .
Los alimentos enlatados para mascotas han sido tratados en empaques
herméticamente sellados con un F0 de 3.0, o mayor.*

2\. Precautions have been taken to avoid recontamination of the product
with pathogenic agents after heat treatment./ *Precauciones han sido
tomadas para evitar*

*recontaminación del producto con agentes patógenos después del
tratamiento con*

*calor.*

3\. All product has been packed using new containers and packaging
materials in a

manner intended to prevent contamination. / *El productor ha sido
empacado usando*

*empaques nuevos y materiales nuevos de tal manera para prevenir
contaminación.*

4\. The product is freely sold in the United States as pet food. Product
is not intended for human consumption*. / El producto se comercializa
libremente en los Estados Unidos como alimento para mascotas. El
producto no esta elaborado para consumo humano*.

5\. The product contains no ruminant origin ingredients except (include
as applicable) 1) dairy; 2) protein free tallow with a maximum level of
insoluble impurities of 0.15% in weight\*; 3) ovine or bovine (specify)
ingredients legally imported from Australia, New Zealand, or other
countries (list as applicable) recognized as free of scrapie and bovine
spongiform encephalopathy. / *El producto no contiene materiales de
origen rumiante excepto (incluir según el caso) 1) lácteos 2) cebo
desproteinizado con un nivel máximo de impurezas del 0.15% en peso\*; 3)
ingredientes de origen bovino u ovino legalmente importados de Australia
o Nueva Zelanda o de otros países reconocidos libres (lista según el
caso) de prurigo lumbar y encefalopatía espongiforme bovina.*

6\. Adequate precautions have been taken during processing and storage
of the certified products to prevent any commingling or
cross-contamination with prohibited

ruminant-origin materials. / *Se han tomado las debidas precauciones
durante el*

*procesamiento y almacenamiento de los productos certificados para
evitar*

*contaminación cruzada con ingredientes prohibidos de origen rumiante.*

7\. The product has been manufactured in plants authorized by the
official competent

authority of the United States. / *El producto ha sido elaborado en
plantas autorizadas*

*por la autoridad oficial correspondiente de los Estados Unidos.*

8\. The product has been manufactured in accordance with a U.S. system
of laws and

regulations designed to validate microbial, physiochemical, and
compositional

quality. / *El producto ha sido elaborado de acuerdo al sistema de leyes
y regulaciones*

*de los Estados Unidos diseñadas para validar calidad microbiológica,
fisicoquímica*

*y composicional.*

9\. The manufacturer maintains records verifying the nutritional and
compositional

quality of their products. / *El fabricante mantiene registros que
verifican la calidad*

*de composicion y nutricion de sus productos.*

\*Lab results must be produced verifying that the tallow used as a pet
food ingredient meets this requirement.

\*\*FORMATTING: Please be sure that certification statements included on
the VS Form 16-4 do NOT cover (are not typed over) the official USDA
seal. To provide the required certification statements for Colombia in
both English and Spanish (as required), and avoid typing over the
official USDA seal, a continuation page to the VS Form 16-4 will be
needed. Exporters should include additional statements that will not fit
on the VS Form 16-4 on plain bond paper such that it can be copied onto
VS Area Office letterhead stationary.

The affidavit line ("This office has on file a notarized affidavit from
\[insert

company name\] verifying the accuracy of the statements below:") should
precede the certification statements placed on the continuation page.
Both pages of the certificate should be appropriately numbered (i.e.,
page 1 of 2, page 2 of 2).

Pet food exporting companies must be registered at ICA.

## 5. Certification Requirements for Imports of Dairy Products

The following certification statements (made on the basis of a notarized
affidavit) should be provided on a VS Form 16-4\* for the exportation of
dairy products, such as ice cream, milk, milk powder, yogurt, and
cheese, to Colombia. Product description (product box on VS Form 16-4)
should include the species of origin, as well as the nature of the
product. As noted above for unprocessed plant products and animal
products, importers are required to have an import permit before
importing dairy products. Below is the required language for the
certificate.

NOTE: Required certification statements are provided in both Spanish and

English since the Spanish was part of the negotiation process. \* See
comments regarding formatting at the end.

This office has on file a notarized affidavit from \[insert company
name\] verifying the

accuracy of the statements below:

1.  The products were obtained from animals raised in or legally
    imported into the United States and/or produced with dairy
    ingredients imported legally./ *Los productos fueron obtenidos de
    animales criados en o importados legalmente en Estados Unidos y/o
    producidos con ingredientes lácteos importados legalmente.*

2\. The milk from which the products were obtained originated from areas
not under official quarantine for animal diseases of official control
transmissible through pasteurized milk./ *La leche de la cual los
productos fueron obtenidos se origino de áreas que no están bajo
cuarentena oficial para enfermedades transmisible de control oficial por
medio de leche pasteurizada.*

3\. The products come from a plant (s) officially authorized to process
milk and milk products by the competent authority of the United
States.*/ Los productos provienen de una(s) planta(s) autorizadas
oficialmente para procesar leche y productos lá cteos por la autoridad
competente de los Estados Unidos.*

4\. The products were manufactured from milk that received a
pasteurization or ultra pasteurization (UHT) treatment, or cheeses ,when
manufactured with raw milk, were matured at least 60 days at a minimum
temperature of 2 degrees Celsius./ *Los productos fueron manufacturados
de leche que recibió un tratamiento de pasteurización o ultra
pasteurización (UHT), o los quesos elaborados con leche cruda fueron
madurados por un mínimo de 60 días a 2 grados centígrados de
temperatura.*

5\. The products were manufactured under hygienic and sanitary
conditions in accordance with U.S. laws and regulations and are not
likely to pose any health risk for humans or animals. The products are
freely sold in the United States.*/* *Los productos fueron
manufacturados en condiciones higiénicas y sanitarias de acuerdo con las
leyes y regulaciones de EE.UU. y no representaran un riesgo de salud a
animales o humanos. Los productos se venden libremente en Estados
Unidos.*

6\. The products have not been processed using any type of artificial
ultraviolet or ionizing radiation./ *Los productos no han sido
procesados usando radiación ultravioleta artificial o*

*ionizante.*

7\. The products have been packaged using new containers and packaging
materials in a manner intended to prevent contamination./ *Los productos
han sido empacados usando contenedores y materiales de empaque nuevos
con la intención de prevenir contaminación.*

8\. The products have been subjected by the competent authority of the
United States to a general surveillance scheme, including laboratory
tests, designed to detect adulteration and validate microbial and
compositional quality.*/Los productos han sido sujetos por la autoridad
competente de los Estados Unidos a un esquema de vigilancia general,
incluyendo pruebas de laboratorio, designadas para detectar adulteración
y para validar calidad microbial y composicional.*

\* FORMATTING: To provide the required certification statements for
Colombia (and

avoid typing over the USDA seal), a continuation page to the VS Form
16-4 will be

needed. Exporters should include additional statements that will not fit
on the VS Form 16-4 on plain bond paper such that it can be copied onto
VS Area Office letterhead stationary. The affidavit line ("This office
has on file a notarized affidavit from \[insert company name\] verifying
the accuracy of the statements below:") should precede the certification
statements placed on the continuation page. Both pages of the
certificate should be appropriately numbered (i.e., page 1 of 2, page 2
of 2).

## 6. Wood Packing Material

All wood packaging materials arriving into Colombia must carry the
agreed international seals certifying that the wood has been treated as
recommended by international conventions after September 15, 2005. The
set of regulations is to comply with the "Guidelines for Regulating Wood
Packaging Material in International Trade" under the International Plant
Protection Convention (IPPC).