. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/COL/152 
28 January 2008 
 (08-0398) 
Committee on Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
 
 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   COLOMBIA  
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible:  Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario , ICA (Colombian Agricultural 
Institute) 
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):  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 affect ed, to the extent relevant or practicable:
 
 Venezuela 
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Resolución N° 000126 
del 22 de enero de 2008 del Ins tituto Colombiano Agropecuario "P or la cual se suspende la 
importación a Colombia de animales y sus produc tos de riesgo susceptibles de transmitir o 
vehiculizar el virus de fiebre aftosa, proceden tes de Venezuela, por presencia de focos de 
fiebre aftosa en ese país"  (Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) Resolution No. 000126 
of 22 January 2008 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, following outbreaks of the disease in Venezuela) (available in 
Spanish, 3 pages). 
6. Description of content:  Suspension of the entry into Colo mbia from Venezuela of animals 
and risk products capable of transmitting or carrying the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus, for a period of six (6) months, during which time the ICA will assess the risk of the 
disease being introduced into Colombia by means of a review of updated official 
information on the status of the disease and in situ verification by ICA officials. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [   ] food safety, [ X ] animal health, [   ] plant protection, [   ] 
protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [   ] protect territory from other 
damage from pests  
8. Nature of the urgent problem(s) and reasons for urgent action:  According to the 
Informe Epidemiológico sobre Fieb re Aftosa y Estomatitis Vesicular (Epidemiological 
report on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and vesicular stomatitis) of the Centro 
Panamericano de Fiebre Aftosa , PANAFTOSA (Pan-American Foot-and-Mouth Disease 
Centre), Week 49, there have been outbreaks of serotype-A FMD in Venezuela at the following coordinates:  E06C  970N and D03B 1072N (pendi ng diagnoses of weeks 44 and 
47 respectively). G/SPS/N/COL/152 
Page 2  
 
  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:  
10. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  ICA Resolution 
No. 1719 of 3 July 2007 (available in Spanish). 
11. Date of entry into force/period of application (as applicable):   Upon publication in the 
Official Journal (6 months). 
12. Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] National notification 
authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body: 
National enquiry point  
Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Turismo 
Dirección de Regulación 
Calle 28 No. 13A-15, tercer piso Bogotá D.C., Colombia Tel.: +(571) 241 0478 Fax: +(571) 241 0480 
or 
Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA)
 
Grupo de Análisis de Riesgos Agropecuarios y Asuntos Internacionales – ICA Calle 37 #8-43 Oficina 409 Bogotá D.C., Colombia 
Tel.: +(571) 285 3485 
Fax: +(571) 232 4695 Web site: http://www.ica.gov.co
 
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 Comercio, Industria y Turismo 
Dirección de Regulación  
Calle 28 No. 13A-15, tercer piso 
Bogotá D.C., Colombia 
Contact person :  Daniel Héctor Rico R. 
Tel.: +(571) 606 7676 Ext. 1690 Fax: +(571) 241 0480 
E-mail: drico@mincomercio.gov.co 
Web site: http://www.mincomercio.gov.co