WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/COL/197 
30 June 2010 
 (10-3565) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES 
 
1. Notifying Member:  COLOMBIA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved: 
2. Agency responsible:  Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario, ICA  (Colombian Agricultural 
Institute) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO;  ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):  Bovine animals, sheep, goats, swine and other species susceptible to 
foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and other products that pose a risk of transmitting the virus 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[ ] All trading partners, or 
[X] Specific regions or countries:  Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela 
5. Title of the notified document:  Resolución N° 002005 del 17 de junio de 2010, "Por 
medio de la cual se suspende la importación a Colombia desde Venezuela, de animales y 
sus productos de riesgo que sean susceptibles de transmitir o vehiculizar el virus de la 
fiebre aftosa" (Resolution No. 002005 of 17 June 2010 suspending the importation into 
Colombia from Venezuela of animals and the risk products thereof capable of transmitting 
or carrying the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus) Language:  Spanish  Number of 
pages:  3 
Text available online at: 
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2010/sps/COL/10_2572_00_s.pdf  
6. Description of content:  Suspension of the entry into  Colombia from Venezuela of 
animals and the risk products thereof cap able of transmitting or carrying the 
foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus for a period of one (1) year as of the publication of the 
Resolution. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ ] food safety, [X] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[X] protect humans from animal/plant pest or  disease, [ ] protect territory from other 
damage from pests.  G/SPS/N/COL/197 
Page 2  
 
  8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reason for urgent action:  The Bolivarian 
Republic of Venezuela continues to be endemic for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and to date has not submitted an official report to the South American Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease ( Comisión Suramericana de Lucha contra la Fiebre Aftosa , 
COSALFA) on its FMD status or the health m easures that it imposed in 2009.  Moreover, 
Venezuela has failed to provide Colombia with updated official information on the control 
and eradication of outbreaks of FMD in Ven ezuelan national territory.  In light of the 
above, Colombia has no way of knowing whethe r an FMD eradication programme is being 
applied in Venezuela or of assessing the risk of  the disease being introduced into Colombia, 
a situation which justifies maintaining th e health measures currently applied under 
Resolutions Nos. 2200 of 2009 and 5029 of 2009, in order to protect Colombia's 
agricultural health.  
9. Is there a relevant international standa rd?  If so, identify the standard: 
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g. title or serial number of Codex standard 
or related text)  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM N°)  
[X] None 
Does this proposed regulation conform to  the revelant international standard? 
 [ ] Yes [ ] No 
 If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:  
10. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:   Resolution 
(Resolución ) No. 2200 of 12 June 2009 of the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA), 
notified in document G/SPS/N/COL/172, an d Resolution No. 5029 of 16 December 2009 
of the Colombian Agricultural Ins titute (ICA), notified in document 
G/SPS/N/COL/172/Add.1. 
11. Date of entry into force (dd/mm/yy)/period of application (as applicable):  As from 
17 June 2010, for a period of one (1) year.  Official Journal No. 47743 (17 June 2010). 
[ ] Trading facility measure  
12. Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [X] National Notification 
Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:  
Enquiry Point  
Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo Dirección de Regulación 
Calle 28 N° 13A - 15, tercer piso 
Bogotá, D.C., Colombia Tel.: +(57 1) 606-4775 Fax: +(57 1) 606-4777 
or 
  G/SPS/N/COL/197 
 Page 3 
 
 
   Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario  
Subgerencia de Regulación Sanitaria y Fitosanitaria Dirección Técnica de Asuntos Internacionales Calle 37 # 8-43, Piso 4, Oficina 411 Bogotá, D.C., Colombia 
Tel.: +(57 1) 287-2728 
Fax: +(57 1) 285-3485 Website: http://www.ica.gov.co/
 
13. Texts available from:  [X] National Notification Authority, [ ] National Enquiry Point.  
Address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: 
Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo 
Dirección de Regulación Calle 28 N° 13A - 15, tercer piso 
Bogotá, D.C., Colombia 
Enquiry Point
: 
Contact person:  Daniel Héctor Rico R. Tel.: +(57 1) 606-7676, Ext. 1690 Fax: +(57 1) 606-4777 
E-mail: drico@mincomercio.gov.co 
 Puntocontactotc-msf@mincomercio.gov.co Website: https://servicios.vuce.gov.co/puntocon/