G/SPS/N/MEX/300  
9 June 2016  
(16-3119)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: Spanish  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
1. Notifying Member: MEXICO 
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible: Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y 
Alimentación  (Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food) 
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): Organic agricultural products 
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: Acuerdo por el que se modifica el artículo segundo 
transitorio del similar por el que se dan a conocer los lineamientos para la operación orgánica de las actividades agropecuarias, publicado el 29 de octubre de 2013  (Decision 
amending the second transitional article of the Decision Notifying Guidelines for Organic 
Agricultural Activities, published on 29 October 2013) Language(s): Spanish Number of 
pages: 2 
http://senasica.gob.mx/?id=2543 
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2016/SPS/MEX/16_2233_00_s.pd f 
6. Description of content: Pursuant to the second transitional article of the Decision 
Notifying Guidelines for Organic Agricultural Activities, operators certified under voluntary 
schemes shall, upon the date of this Decision's entry into force, bring themselves into compliance with its provisions and obtain the respective organic certification within a 
maximum period of 12 months, i.e. by April 2015. 
Section V of Article 258 of the Decision Notifying Guidelines for Organic Agricultural 
Activities establishes that imported products from countries that have equivalent 
regulations and control systems, or which are ce rtified by certification bodies approved by 
the Ministry, may be marketed as organic on the domestic market. Given that Mexico is currently addressing the equivalence of the national control system, trade flows would be affected, as, from 30 April 2015 onwards, it would not be possible to market imported 
organic products on the domestic market with out them being re-certified, which would give 
rise to an increase in their cost and price for the industrial sector, traders and consumers.  
7. Objective and rationale: [X ] food safety, [ ] animal health, [ ] plant protection, [ ] 
protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] 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)  G/SPS/N/MEX/300 
- 2 - 
  [ ] 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:  
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : 8 May 2015 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : 8 May 2015 
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [ ] Six months from date of publication, and/or 
(dd/mm/yy) : 8 May 2015 
[X] 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:  
Dirección General de Normas 
Av. Puente de Tecamachalco 6, Piso 2, Lomas de Tecamachalco Sección Fuentes, C.P. 53950 
Naucalpan de Juárez, Estado de México 
Tel.: (+52 55) 5729 9100 Email: normasomc@economia.gob.mx Website: http://www.senasica.gob.mx/?id=5145  
13. Text(s) available from: [X] National Notifi cation Authority, [ ] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and email address (if available) of other body: 
Dirección General de Normas 
Av. Puente de Tecamachalco 6, Piso 2, Lomas de Tecamachalco Sección Fuentes, C.P. 53950 
Naucalpan de Juárez, Estado de México 
Tel.: (+52 55) 5729 9100 Email: normasomc@economia.gob.mx 
Website: http://www.senasica.gob.mx/?id=5145