WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/CRI/91 
2 March 2010 
 (10-1153) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
 
NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY MEASURES 
 
1. Notifying Member:   COSTA RICA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved: 
2. Agency responsible:  Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería, Servicio Fitosanitario del 
Estado , SFE (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, State Phytosanitary Service) 
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):  Used wooden pallets marked in accordance with ISPM No. 15 (Regulation of 
wood packaging material in international trade) 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[X] All trading parters, or [ ] Specific regions or countries: 
5. Title of the notified document:  Guía Técnica ARF 08.  Requisitos fitosanitarios para la 
importación de productos misceláneos, incluidas  las tarimas de madera nuevas y usadas  
(Technical Document on High Phytosanitary Risk No. 08:  Phytosanitary requirements for the importation into Costa Rica of miscella neous goods, including new and used wooden 
pallets) 
Full text of notification available online at: 
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2010/sps/CRI/10_0821_00_s.pdf
 
Language:  Spanish Number of pages:  8 
6. Description of content:  The notified text lays down phyt osanitary requirements for the 
importation into Costa Rica of miscellane ous goods, including ne w and used wooden 
pallets. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ ] food safety, [ ] animal health, [X] plant protection, 
[ ] 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:  The immediate 
adoption of emergency measures has b ecome necessary following an increase in 
applications to import wooden pallets.  Ta king into account ISPM No. 15 of the IPPC, 
which states that " The phytosanitary measures described in this standard are not intended 
to provide ongoing protection from cont aminating pests or other organisms ", and 
Article 5(e) of Phytosanitary Protection Law No. 7664, which stipulates that " The State 
Phytosanitary Service (SFE) may issue and impl ement technical, legal and administrative 
measures to prevent and delay the introduction or the establishment of new plant pests ", G/SPS/N/CRI/91 
Page 2  
 
  and given the fact that it is difficult to determine the previous uses and the origin of pallets, 
the materials previously packaged therein, a nd the measures taken in this respect outside 
the country to mitigate the risk of contaminati ng pests, it is considered necessary to apply 
measures to reduce the phytosanitary risk, with  fumigation being the most effective and 
rapid form of achieving this aim. 
ISPM No. 15 specifies that " Dunnage in particular has been shown to present a high risk of 
introduction and spread of quarantine pests.  Furthermore, wood packaging material is 
very often reused, repaired or remanufactured (as described in section 4.3).  The true 
origin of any piece of wood packaging material  is difficult to determine, and thus its 
phytosanitary status cannot easily be ascertained.  Therefore the normal process of 
undertaking pest risk analysis to determine if measures are necessary, and the strength of 
such measures, is frequently not  possible for wood packaging material ". 
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)  
[X] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM No.) ISPM No. 15 
[ ] 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:  
10. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:  Costa Rican 
Technical Regulation (RTCR) No. 379:2000:  Procedimientos para la aplicación de 
requisitos fitosanitarios para la importac ión de plantas, productos vegetales y otros 
capaces de transportar plagas  (Procedures for the implementation of phytosanitary 
requirements for the importation of plants, plan t products and other plant material capable 
of harbouring pests);  Decree No. 29473-MEIC-MAG of the Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Trade (MEIC) and Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), published in Official Journal La Gaceta No. 93 of 16 May 2001. 
11. Date of entry into force (dd/mm/yy) /period of application (as applicable):  Immediately 
upon notification. 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Agency or authority designated to handl e comments:  [X] National Notification 
Authority, [ ]  National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address 
(if available) of other body:   G/SPS/N/CRI/91 
 Page 3 
 
 
  13. Texts available from:  [X] National Noti fication Authority, [X] National Enquiry 
Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body: 
Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería 
Servicio Fitosanitario del Estado (SFE) Centro de Información y Notificación en  Medidas Sanitarias y Fitosanitarias 
Apartado Postal 70-3006 
Barreal de Heredia Costa Rica Tel.: +(506) 2260 8300, Ext. 2065 Fax: +(506) 2262 7831 
E-mail: notificaciones@sfe.go.cr