. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/538 
25 January 2005 
 
 (05-0309) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
 
MEASURES IMPLEMENTED IN THE FIELD 
OF VETERINARY MEDICINE 
 
Communication from Cuba
 
 
 
 The following communication, received on 20 Janua ry 2005, is being circulated at the request 
of the delegation of Cuba.    
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I. INTRODUCTION  
1. Over the last few years, the National Directorate of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of the 
Ministry of Agriculture of Cuba has been work ing in the area of facilitation, the aim being to 
implement new procedures to facilitate trade in anim als, animal products and by-products while at the 
same time providing solutions to any disputes wh ich might arise, and to do so without creating 
unnecessary obstacles and without allowing internationa l trade in the above-mentioned products to 
become a pathway for introduction into the country of exotic diseases. 
2. These procedures are based on elements referred to in the WTO Agreement on the 
Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and reflect the basic principles of that 
Agreement, that is to say:  non-discrimination,  harmonization, equivalence and transparency.  The 
latest World Organization for Animal Health (OIE ) thinking regarding the protection of human and 
animal health has also been applied, taking into account valid scientific arguments and the principles 
of risk analysis. 
II. MEASURES ALREADY IMPLEMENTED 
3. International trade in animals and animal pr oducts and by-products is currently uniformly 
regulated by Legislative Decree No. 137/93 on Veteri nary Medicine and Decree No. 181/93, together 
with a body of resolutions, circulars and animal health import requirements. 
4. An import/export application mechanism has been  set up which makes it clear to companies 
importing animals and animal produc ts and by-products that they must provide the information 
required under Circular No. 3/93 no late r than 15 days prior to the arrival of the animals/products they 
wish to import.  This mechanism enables the author ities to gather a maximum of information in order 
to carry out a risk assessment which will be both vali d and suited to the complexity of the operation in 
question.  Once this process has been carried out, the corresponding decision is taken, in consultation 
with all the interested parties. 
5. In order to facilitate the work of the border ve terinary services in ports and airports, a national 
mechanism has been set up, allowing importers  to clear their goods using a photocopy of the 
veterinary certificate and the quality certificate, thus  ensuring that products are not retained for long G/SPS/GEN/538 
Page 2  
 
 periods of time in ports or airports.  The products are released for transfer to the warehouses of 
destination where they are detained pending insp ection.  Importers must submit the original 
documents within 15 days of the date of arrival of the goods (Instruction No. 2/98 of 22 July 1998). 
6. Steps have been taken to study the possibility, w ith respect to the authorization of imports of 
products of animal origin, of applying the concep ts of zoning and regiona lization depending on the 
sanitary status of each country, th e infrastructure of its animal heal th services, its surveillance system, 
and the protective measures introduced to maintain  its status as a disease-free region or zone, thus 
avoiding what constitutes a limitation on the intern ational movement of animals and animal products. 
7. Authorization to import animals or animal products depends on a process of sanitary 
certification of the relevant breeding facilities and food production plants in the exporting country by 
an expert appointed by the Directorate-Genera l of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine. 
8. A nationwide system of epidemiological surve illance of the main diseases affecting animals 
and which can be transmitted both by animals and an imal products was established in order to detect 
the appearance of such diseases and control the fact ors leading to outbreaks, as well as a notification 
system for day-to-day health problems occurring across the country. 
9. A nationwide surveillance system for foodstu ffs destined for human consumption was 
introduced. 
10. Electronic contacts have been maintained with  the official veterinary authorities of each 
country with which import/export operations are carried  out, in order to work towards agreements on 
a model certificate, its content, quarantine measures,  etc., to ensure that import/export operations go 
ahead without any health-related difficulties. 
 
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