WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/GTM/42 
18 May 2006 
 
 (06-2415) 
Committee on Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
 
 
 
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES 
 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  GUATEMALA  
If applicable, name of local government involved:        
2. Agency responsible:  Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación  (Ministry of 
Agriculture, Livestock and Food)  
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):  
Prohibited products: 
 1. Meat and bone meal and their mixtures, of ruminant origin (0506.10.00 and 
0506.90.00), (2301.10.00 and 2301.20.90); 
 2.  Brains, spinal cords, eyes and tonsils. 
Authorized products: 
 1. Live animals, bovine animals under 30 months old;  (0102.10.00; 
1002.90.00) 
 2.  Deboned skeletal muscle meat (separ ated using manual procedures) from 
bovine animals under 30 months old;  (0201.30.00; 0202.30.00) 
 3. Boned meat (without spinal cord) from bovine animals under 30 months 
old;  (0201.20.00; 0202.30.00) 
 4. Blood and blood products from animals that were not subjected to a 
stunning process prior to slaughter, with a device injecting compressed air 
or gas into the cranial cavity, or to a pithing process;  (1601.00.10; 
1602.10.10: 1602.50.00) 
 5. Milk and dairy products;  (04.01;  04.02;  04.03;  04.04;  04.05 and 04.06) 
 6. Bovine semen (0511.10.00) and embryos; 
 7. Hides and skins; 
 8. Gelatin and collagen prepared exclusively from hides and skins; G/SPS/N/GTM/42 
Page 2  
 
  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):  (cont'd) 
 9.  Protein-free tallow (maximum level of insoluble impurities of 0.15% in 
weight) and derivatives made from this tallow; 
 10. Dicalcium phosphate (with no trace of protein or fat);  
 11. Livers (0206.22.00), hearts, kidneys, blood serum, testicles and salivary 
glands.  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
 Trading partners of Guatemala.  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Acuerdo Ministerial 
No. 162-2006 de fecha 22 de marzo de 2006, disposiciones para prevenir el ingreso al territorio nacional de la enfermedad Encefalopatía Espongiforme Bovina – EEB – o mal de 
las Vacas Locas (Ministerial Decision No. 162-2006 of 22 March 2006, provisions to 
prevent the introduction of Bovine Spongi form Encephalopathy (BSE) or "Mad Cow 
Disease" into Guatemala) (3 pages, in Spanish).  
6. Description of content:  Sets forth provisions relating to the entry into or international 
transit through Guatemala of animals and an imal products, by-products and raw materials 
for the production of inputs intended for animals, which pose a health risk and which come from or originate in countries where Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is present.  
7. Objective and rationale: [  X ] food safety,  [  X ] animal health,  [    ] plant protection, 
[ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  X ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests 
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reasons for urgent action: Emergency measure to 
prevent the entry of  Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (B SE), which is a disease exotic to 
Guatemala and lethal to susceptible animals.  No  effective treatment exists to date.  BSE is a 
zoonotic disease causing variant Kreutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.  
9. International standard, guideline or recommendation: 
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [ X ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention,  [   ] None 
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:  Generally speaking, this Ministerial Decision 
does not differ from the OIE guidelines. 
10. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Ministerial Decision 
No. 162-2006 of 22 March 2006 (available in Spanish).  
11. Date of entry into force/period of application (as appropriate):  This Ministerial 
Decision shall enter into force with immediate effect and be published in the Diario de 
Centro América  (Official Journal).   G/SPS/N/GTM/42 
 Page 3 
 
 
  12. Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [  X ] National notification 
authority, [  X ] National enquiry point, or ad dress, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body: 
Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganaderia y Alimentación 
Unidad de Políticas e Información Es tratégica , Área de Información 
5ª. Avenida 8-06, zona 9, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala, C.A. 
Tel:  (502) 2361-7786, 2334-1048 Fax:  (502) 2361-7783 E-mail:  informacion.upie@maga.gob.gt
 
Enquiry point : 
Contact persons : 
Gustavo Adolfo Hernández Arreaga E-mail:  ghernandez@maga.gob.gt
 
Leonel Estuardo Donis Loaiza E-mail:  edonis@maga.gob.gt
 
 
Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganaderia y Alimentación Unidad de Normas y Regulaci ones – Área Fitozoosanitaria 
7
a. Avenida 12-90, zona 13, Anexo Edificio Monja Blanca, Ciudad de Guatemala, 
Guatemala, C.A. 
Fax:  (502) 2475-3058, (502) 2475-3068 
E-mail:  jose.grajeda@maga.gob.g t;  Otto.lavagninon@maga.gob.gt  
13. Texts available from:  [  X ] National notification authority, [  X ] National enquiry 
point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:  
Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganaderia y Alimentación 
Unidad de Políticas e Información Estr atégica, Área de Información 
5ª. Avenida 8-06 zona 9, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala, C.A. Tel.:  (502) 2361-7786, 2334-1048 
Fax:  (502) 2361-7783 
E-mail:  informacion.upie@maga.gob.gt
 
Enquiry point : 
Contact persons : 
Gustavo Adolfo Hernández Arreaga 
E-mail:  ghernandez@maga.gob.gt  
Leonel Estuardo Donis Loaiza E-mail:  edonis@maga.gob.gt