WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/CUB/11 
5 January 2006 
 (06-0022) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  CUBA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible: Ministry of Agriculture  
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):  Eviscerated and uneviscerated fish, culture d fish stocks and wild fish stocks.  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  All 
countries and regions trading these products with Cuba.  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Requisitos para la 
importación de pescados a la República de Cuba (Requirements for the importation of fish 
into the Republic of Cuba) (4 pages, in Spanish)  
6. 
    
 
     
 
  Description of content:  Places where fish or fish products are produced in a country, a 
zone or an aquaculture establishment must be  approved and monito red for export purposes 
by the official veterinary service and be subj ect to an official fish health surveillance 
scheme.  The country, zone or aquaculture establishment involved must be free from the pathogens that cause the following diseases, as lis ted in the Aquatic Animal Health Code:  
epizootic haematopoietic necrosis, infectious haematopoietic necrosis , spring viraemia of 
carp, viral haemorrhagic septicaemia, infecti ous pancreatic necros is, infectious salmon 
anaemia, epizootic ulcerative syndrome, bacterial kidney disease ( Renibacterium 
salmoninarum ), gyrodactylosis ( Gyrodactylus salaris ) and red sea bream iridoviral disease.  
Visual inspections must be carried out to det ect any visible parasites.  Places of production 
in a country, zone or aquaculture establishmen t must be officially authorized by the 
competent authorities of the exporting country. 
 The final product must comply with the following: 
• Product identification
 (eviscerated or uneviscerated;  cultured or wild stock; 
species;  scientific name; date of produ ction; expiry date;  packaging type; 
total weight (kg.) or number (x 100); and stamp or seal of the official veterinary service). 
• Product origin
 (name and address of the establishment approved by the 
official veterinary service). 
• Product destination  (place of shipment; destination (country and place); 
nature and identification of means of  transport; container and seal number; 
name and address of the consignor ; and name and address of the 
consignee). G/SPS/N/CUB/11 
Page 2  
 
  6. Description of content:  (cont'd) 
• Transport
 (under official seal in refriger ated vehicles adapted for this 
purpose which ensure conditions that prev ent the deterioration, alteration or 
contamination of the products). 
 The official veterinary health certificate covering the export must contain the 
following:  a description of the product, inform ation on the origin and destination of the 
product, health certification reflecting the a bove-mentioned points, confirmation that the 
products are suitable for human consumption, a nd the name, signature and stamp or seal of 
the official veterinary service. 
 The product will be accompanied by a certifi cate of quality issued by the country of 
origin stating the results of the organoleptic analyses (dehydration, colour, smell, texture 
and taste), chemical analyses (total volatile basic nitrogen - TVB-N, total trimethylamine 
nitrogen - TMA-N, histamine - n-9 c-2 m-100 ppm and M-200 ppm, and contaminants - heavy metals and halogenated substances ) and microbiological analyses (see table): 
 
Limits per g or ml 
INDICATORS n c m M 
m.o. at 30 o C 5 2 105 106 
Coliforms at 45 o C 5 2 0.3 2.1 
E. coli 5 0 < 0.3 -- 
Salmonella in 25 g 5 0 0 -- 
Enteropathogen (Vibrio 
cholerae)  5 0 0 -- 
V. parahaemolyticus 5 0 0 -- 
 
 With regard to complaints/alerts, the o fficial veterinary service of the exporting 
country must urgently inform the National Di rectorate of the Institute of Veterinary 
Medicine of the Republic of Cuba (Dirección Nacional del Instituto de Medicina 
Veterinaria de la República de Cuba) , in the event of any outbre ak in its territory of the 
diseases listed in the Aquatic Animal Health Code  within three months of shipment of the 
products. 
7. Objective and rationale: [  X ] food safety,  [  X ] animal health,  [    ] plant protection, 
[ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [    ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests        
8. 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:        
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Requisitos para la 
importación de pescados a la República de Cuba (Requirements for the importation of fish 
into the Republic of Cuba) (4 pages, in Spanish) 
  G/SPS/N/CUB/11 
 Page 3 
 
 
  10. Proposed date of adoption:  The proposed requirements for the importation of fish into 
Cuba will be adopted after the close of the comment period.  
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  Full entry into force after the close of the comment 
period.  
12. Final date for comments:  20 February 2006  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [    ] National notification 
authority, [  X ] National enquiry point, or add ress, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:   
Instituto de Medicina Veterinaria 
Dirección Nacional, Calle 12 N° 355 entre 15 y 17 
Ciudad Habana, Municipio Plaza de la  Revolución, República de Cuba  
Fax:       (537) 8303537 E- mail: dnimv@infomed.sld.cu
, rbescofet2002@hotmail.com , acere2@yahoo.es  
 
13. Texts available from:  [  X ] National notification authority, [   ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:   
Ministerio de Comercio Exterior  
Dirección de Organismos Internacionales,  Calle Infanta No 16, esquina 23,  
Ciudad de la Habana, Municipio Plaza de  la Revolución, República de Cuba  
  
Fax:  (537)542266  E-mail: eva.quintana@mincex.cu 
Instituto de Medicina Veterinaria 
Dirección Nacional, Calle 12 No. 355 entre 15 y 17 
Ciudad Habana, Municipio Plaza de la  Revolución, República de Cuba  
  
Fax:  (537) 8303537 E- mail: dnimv@infomed.sld.cu
, rbescofet2002@hotmail.com , acere2@yahoo.es