WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/COL/186 
22 January 2010 
 (10-0350) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Notifying Member:  COLOMBIA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible:  Ministerio de la Protección Social  (Ministry of Social Welfare) 
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):  Capybara ( Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris ) meat 
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:  Proyecto de Resolución del Ministerio de la Protección 
Social "Por la cual se establece el reglamento t écnico sobre los requisitos sanitarios y de 
inocuidad de la carne de chigüiros (Hyd rochaeris hydrochaeris) destinada para el 
consumo humano y las disposiciones para su  beneficio, desposte, almacenamiento, 
comercialización, expendio, trans porte, importación o exportación" (Draft Ministry of 
Social Welfare Resolution "Establishing the Technical Regulation on the health and safety 
requirements to be met by capybara ( Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris ) meat for human 
consumption, and provisions concerning the sla ughter of capybaras and the cutting, storage, 
marketing, sale, transportation, importati on and exportation of the meat thereof") 
Language:  Spanish Number of pages:  62 
Text available at: http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2010/sps/COL/10_0329_00_s.pdf
6. Description of content:  The notified draft Resolution lays down the sanitary requirements 
to be met by establishments engaged in the slaughter of capybaras and the cutting, storage, 
marketing, sale, importation, exportation and transport of the meat thereof for human 
consumption.  The draft Resolution covers the following:  Purpose;  Scope;  Definitions;  Sanitary standards;  Location and access;  D esign and construction;  Drainage systems;  
Ventilation;  Lighting;  Sanitary facilities;  Liquid and solid waste management;  Water 
quality;  Product handlers;  Health status;  Hygiene practices and protective measures;  
Requirements for slaughter and processing plan t installations, equipment and tools;  
Reception area;  Lairage area;  Stunning, bleeding, scalding and dehairing area, Intermediate or processing area, Finishing and dispatch  area;  Carcass preparation area;  
Cutting area;  Dispatch area;  Slaughter and dressing room;  Chilling, freezing and storage rooms;  Sanitation Standard Operating Pro cedures, SSOPs (development, implementation, 
maintenance, corrective actions, verification);  Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point 
(HACCP) system;  Hazard analysis and HACCP plan;  Corrective actions;  Validation, 
verification and re-evaluation;  Record-keepi ng;  Inadequate HACCP system;  Training; G/SPS/N/COL/186 
Page 2  
 
  Official verification;  "Zero tolerance" standard for faeces , ingesta  and milk contamination 
in slaughter and processing plant operations;  Criteria for E. coli  testing for process control 
verification;  Sample analysis;  Recording of test results;  Test result evaluation criteria;  Non-compliance with criteria;  Salmonella pathogen reduction performance standard;  
Sampling requirements;  Non-compliance with  standards;  Ante-mortem inspection;  
Official inspection of establishments engaged in the slaughter and processing of animals;  
Reception by the slaughterhouse of animals subject to special control;  Inspection 
requirements;  Unrestricted authorization;  Slaughter under special conditions;  Suspect 
animals;  Handling of animals which have recently given birth or aborted;  Final 
ante-mortem inspection judgement;  Recall/sei zure;  Emergency slaughter;  Post-mortem 
inspection;  Examinations conducted during post-mortem inspection;  Presentation for 
inspection;  Post-mortem inspection examina tions and procedures;  Inspection procedures 
applicable to inedible meat products;  Carcass inspection procedure ;  Post-mortem 
inspection judgements;  Ante-mortem/post-mor tem inspection procedures and judgements;  
Storage of meat;  Specific requirements for reta il outlets;  Transport of meat;  Training;  
Monitoring and control;  Review and updating;   Safety measures and penalty system;  
Notification and period of validity. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X] food safety, [ ] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[X] protect humans from animal/plant pest or  disease, [ ] protect territory from other 
damage from pests.  
8. Is there a relevant international stan dard?  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 number)  
[X] None 
Does this proposed regulation conform to  the relevant international standard? 
 [ ] Yes [ X] 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:  Law ( Ley) 
No. 09 of 1979, Decree ( Decreto ) No. 1594 of 1984, Decree No. 205 of 2003, Decree 
No. 4126 of 2005, Decree No. 1500 of 2007, notified in document 
G/SPS/N/COL/125/Add.1, and Resolution ( Resolución ) No. 1164 of 2002 (available in 
Spanish). 
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) :  Date on which the Resolution is signed 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) :  Date of publication in the Official Journal 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [ ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  As from the date of publication in the Official Journal 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure  G/SPS/N/COL/186 
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  12. Final date for comments:  [ ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the notification 
and/or (dd/mm/yy) :  20 April 2010 
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:  
Ministerio de la Protección Social 
Dirección General de Salud Pública Grupo de Promoción y Prevención Carrera 13 No. 32 – 76 Bogotá, D.C., Colombia 
Tel.: +(571) 330-5000, Ext. 1266 
Fax: +(571) 330-5050 E-mail: bolarte@minproteccionsocial.gov.co Website: http://www.minproteccionsocial.gov.co/
 
13. Texts available from:  [ X] National Notification Authority, [ X] National Enquiry 
Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:  
Enquiry Point : 
Contact person:  Daniel Héctor Rico R. 
Tel.: +(571) 606-7676, ext. 1690 
Fax: +(571) 241-0480 E-mail: drico@mincomercio.gov.co and Pu ntocontactotc-msf@mincomercio.gov.co 
 Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo 
Dirección de Regulación 
Calle 28 N° 13A - 15, tercer piso Bogotá, D.C., Colombia Tel.: +(57 1) 241-0478