G/SPS/N/CRI/17 6 
 
22 August  2016 
(16-4471) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: Spanish  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member:  COSTA RICA   
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería , Servicio Fitosanitario del 
Estado , SFE (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, State Phytosanitary Service)  
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):  International Classification for Standards  (ICS) code 
67.040:  Food products in general  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document:  Reglamento Técnico Centro americano RTCA 
67.06.74:16 , Productos Agropecuarios Orgánicos, Requisitos para la Producción, el 
Procesamiento, la Comercialización, la  Certificación y el Etiquetado (Central American 
Technical Regulation (RTCA) No.  67.06.74:16 : Organic agricultural produc ts. Production , 
processing , marketing , certificatio n and labelling requirements )  Language(s):  Spanish   
Number of pages:  66 
Text available at:  
http://members.wto.org/crnatt achments/2016/SPS/CRI/16_3429_00_s.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The notified Technical Regulation  establishes the  provisions  
and procedures governing the production, registration, certification, processing , 
labelling , storage, transport  and marketing o f organic agricultural products . It applies to 
the following products that carry or should carry a descriptive label relating to organic 
production methods.  
A product is considered to carry information concerning organic production methods 
when the label o r property claims , including advertising material and commercial 
documents, describe the product or its ingredients using the terms "organic", "biological" 
or "ecological" or other similar internationally recogni zed vocabulary, including 
abbreviated forms,  which suggest to the buyer that the product or its ingredients have 
been obtained using organic production methods in the country in which they have been 
put on the market .   
This Technical Regulation is binding upon all natural and legal persons engaged in the 
production, processing, labelling, storage, transport and marketing of certified organic 
agricultural products  as well as upon the public and private bodies engaged in the 
registration, control and/or certification of such product s. 
7. Objective an d rationale:  [X] food safety, [ X] animal health, [  ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   G/SPS/N/C RI/176  
  
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  8. Is there a relevant international standard?  If so, identify the standard:  
[X] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text)  Codex Alimentarius Commission guidelines CAC/GL 
32-1999 
[ ] World Organi sation for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapte r number)   
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number)   
[ ] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
[X] Yes    [ ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
inter national standard:   
9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:   
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined  
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [ ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments:  [X] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 21 October 2016 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [X] National Notification 
Authority, [  ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:   
13. Text(s)  available from:  [X] National Notification Authority, [ X] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería  
Servicio Fitosanitario del Estado (SFE)  
Centro de Información y Notificación MSF  
Apartado Postal 1521 - 1200 
San José, Costa Rica  
Tel.: (+506) 2 549-3454 
Fax: (+506) 2549 -3598 
E-mail: puntocontactoMSF@sfe.go.cr