G/SPS/N/CRI/149  
18 July 2014  
(14-4181)  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 num bers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable): HS code: 0604 - Foliage, branches and other parts of plants. 
Christmas trees ( Abies alba ) 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[ ] All trading partners, or 
[X]  Specific regions or countries: Canada  
5. Title of the notified document: Resolución 002-2014 ARP-SFE Establecimiento de 
Requisitos Fitosanitarios para la Importación de Árboles de Navidad Procedentes de Canadá (Resolution 002-2014 ARP-SFE: Phytosanitary requirements for the importation of 
Christmas trees from Canada) Language(s): Spanish Number of pages: 3 
Text available at: http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2014/sps/CRI/14_3261_00_s.pdf 
6. Description of content: The information provided by the Canadian authorities in charge 
of Christmas tree export certification has been evaluated with a view to changing 
phytosanitary requirements so as to avoid the mandatory fumigation treatment of 
Christmas trees ( Abies alba ) from Canada. 
Officials from the Laboratory (Central Labora tory for Pest Diagnosis) and Phytosanitary 
Certification Departments of the State Phytosanitary Service carried out a visit to the area 
of origin of the product, during which they evaluated other pests recorded in the registers 
to which they had access during the on-site inspection, and examined the information 
provided by the relevant Canadian certification programme. 
Following the evaluation of pests along the product's production path, it was decided that 
shipments from Canada should meet the following phytosanitary requirements:  
- the accompanying phytosanitary certificate should contain an additional declaration 
stating that the product is "free from Chionaspis pinifoliae , Monochamus spp ., Lymantria 
dispar , Oligonychus ununguis , Gremmoniella abietina , Lirula nervata , Melampsorella 
carophyllacearum ." 
- Only companies that comply with the provisions laid down in the Clean Plant 
Program of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) may be certified for the export of 
Christmas trees to Costa Rica. 
- Shipments will be subject to phytosanitary control at the point of entry into Costa 
Rica by officials of the State Phytosanitary Service in the Ministry of Agriculture and 
Livestock, who will verify compliance with the phytosanitary requirements and decide 
whether or not to authorize importation, on the basis of the accompanying documents. G/SPS/N/CRI/149 
- 2 - 
  7. Objective and rationale: [ ] [ ] food safe ty, [ ] animal health, [X] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [X] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.  
8. Is there a relevant international st andard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text)  
[ ] World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention ( e.g. ISPM No. ) 
[X] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to  the relevant international standard? 
[ ] Yes [ ] No  
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available: Análisis 
de riesgo por Vía de Entrada para la importación de árboles de navidad  (abetos : 
Pseudotsuga menziesii y Abies spp. procedentes de Canadá  (Risk analysis by pathway for 
the importation of Christmas trees (fir trees: Pseudotsuga menziesii  and Abies  spp.) from 
Canada) (available in Spanish) 
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) : Immediately 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments: [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : Not applicable 
Agency or authority designated to hand le comments: [X] National Notification 
Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and email address (if 
available) of other body:   
13. Texts available from: [X] National Notifi cation Authority, [X] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and email 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) 2 549-3598 Email: puntocontactoMSF@sfe.go.cr