RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
2 March 2004 
 
 (04-0925) 
Working Party on the 
Accession of Kazakhstan Original:   English 
 
 
 
ACCESSION OF KAZAKHSTAN 
 
Submission from the Republic of Kazakhstan  
 
Information on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures 
 
 
 The following submission, dated 20 February 2004,  is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 
 
 
_______________ 
 
 WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
Page 2  
 
 This document has been prepared by the Republic of  Kazakhstan in conformity  with the requirements 
established under the WTO Agreement on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures (hereafter – the SPS 
Agreement).   
I. Sanitary and epidemiological welfare 
 
The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kaza khstan (the Committee for the State Sanitary and 
Epidemiological Surveillance) is the authorized bod y responsible for administration of issues relating 
to sanitary and epidemiological welfare.  All pub lic health programs operated in the Republic of 
Kazakhstan are regulated by the Laws of th e Republic of Kazakhsta n "On Sanitary and 
Epidemiological Welfare", "On Public Health", "On Public Health System", requirements and provisions of other legislative acts and resolutions of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan 
on the safety of traded goods and products for human life and health and for the environment (e.g. the 
Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Environmental Protection"). 
Under the acting national legislation of the Repub lic of Kazakhstan, all products, whether produced 
domestically or imported to the Republic of Kazakhs tan, designated for distribution to the population 
or for use (exploitation) in industry, agriculture , civil engineering, transport, where the use 
(exploitation) directly involves human participa tion, as well as products designated for personal or 
domestic use shall meet the requirements set forth in the acting sanitary and epidemiological regulations and rules and hygienic norms (Sub-para graphs 16, 26, 28 of Artic le 1; Paragraph 3 of 
Article 15; Paragraph 2 (3) of Ar ticle 18; Articles 11, 12, 17, 19, 20, 21, and 24 of the Law of the 
Republic of Kazakhstan "On Sanita ry and Epidemiological Welfare"). The regulations, rules and 
norms are normative acts binding for all citizens, i ndividual entrepreneurs and legal entities.     
Under Article 7 of the Law of the Republic of  Kazakhstan "On Sanitary and Epidemiological 
Welfare", sanitary and epidemiological rules a nd regulations, hygienic norms and other normative 
acts regulating operations of the sanitary and epidemio logical service shall be adopted by the Ministry 
of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan.  
The following documents may serve as an illustra tion of sanitary and epidemiological rules and 
regulations adopted by the Ministry of Health: 
- Ordinance of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 447 of 
11 July 2003 "On Adoption of Sanitary Rul es and Regulations:  Hygienic Requirements 
to the Safety and Nutritive Value of Food Products"; 
- Ordinance of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 525 of 
11 July 2003 "On Adoption of Sanitary Rules and Regulations: Sanitary and 
Epidemiological Requirements to Food Produc ts Served to Airline Passengers and Air 
Crews"; 
- Ordinance of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 97 of 
31 January 2003 "On Adoption of Sanitary  Rules and Regulations: Sanitary and 
Epidemiological Requirements to Radiation Safety"; 
- Ordinance of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 96 of 
31 January 2003 "On Adoption of Sanitary Rules and Regulations:  Sanitary and 
Epidemiological Requirements to the Quality of Sterilization and Disinfection of Medical Products"; 
- Ordinance of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 94 of 
31 January 2003 "On Adoption of Sanitary Ru les and Regulations:  Sanitary, Hygienic 
and Epidemiological Requirements to Production of Bread, Food Preparations of Flour, 
Pasta, and Pastry"; 
- Ordinance of the Senior Government Hea lth Officer of the Republic of Kazakhstan 
No. 32 of 1 August 2002  "On Adoption of Sani tary Rules and Regulations:  Sanitary and  WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
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 Hygienic Requirements to Storage Conditions  and Period of Distribution (Sale) of 
Perishable Food Products"; 
- Ordinance of the Senior Government Health Officer of the Ministry of Health of the 
Republic of Kazakhstan No. 9 of 25 March 2002 "On Adoption of Sanitary Rules and 
Regulations: Establishment, Equipm ent and Operation of Drugstores"; 
- Ordinance of the Senior Government Hea lth Officer of the Republic of Kazakhstan 
No. 24 of 26 June 2002 "On Adoption of San itary Rules and Regulations:  Sanitary, 
Hygienic and Epidemiological Requirement s to the Establishment, Equipment and 
Operation of Dental Clinics"; 
- Sanitary Rules and Regulations SP No. 1.01.004.01 "Hygienic requirements to 
Management and Conditions for Operation of  Data Terminal Equipment and Personal 
Computers" (adopted by the Ordinance of the Senior Government Health Officer of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 1.01.0 04.01 of 17 December 2001); and 
- Sanitary Rules SP No. 2.6.1.758-99 "Ionizing  Radiation, Radiation Safety. Radiation 
Safety Norms (RSN-99)" (adopted by the Ordi nance of the Senior Government Health 
Officer of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 10 of 9 December 1999), etc. 
Conformity with the acting sanitary norms an d rules shall be certified by a sanitary and 
epidemiological expert opinion or by a registrati on certificate.  These documents shall demonstrate 
that a product has been allowed access to the consum er market provided that its owner ensured the 
observance of norms and regulations on its production, transportation, storage, and distribution (sale).  
A hygienic expertise of products imported to the Rep ublic of Kazakhstan shall normally be performed 
prior to their entry into the Republic of Kazakhstan.   Whenever procedures of hygienic expertise have 
not been applied to imported products prior to their entry to the Republic of Kazakhstan, they shall be 
subject to the sanitary and epidemiological inspection.   Based on its results, an expert opinion shall be 
issued only for the ship ment inspected.     
According to Article 16 of the Law of the Republic  of Kazakhstan "On Sanitary and Epidemiological 
Welfare", specific categories of products and substances hazardous for human health may by 
produced, purchased, transported, stored, distributed (sold) or used (operated) only where they were 
registered with the state bodies b ased on the available pertinent ev idence obtained through research or 
tests performed. 
State registration shall be required for: 
- any substance where introduced in the produc tion cycle for the first time and where no 
previous experience of its use is available,  if it constitutes a potential hazard for human 
life or health, as well as  materials (drugs) produced using this substance; 
- food additives, food dyes, products and material s, where their use i nvolves direct contact 
with water or food products, whenever importe d into the Republic of Kazakhstan for the 
first time.    
State registration of substances and specific product categories listed above sha ll be performed noting: 
- the results of an expert evaluation of th e potential for hazard effects on human life and 
health and on the environment arising from th e presence of these substances and specific 
categories of products;  
- the objectively demonstrated conformity of the concentration of substances or specific 
product components with the acting sanitary  regulations and hygienic norms; and 
- the special measures developed, inter alia , to regulate conditions for the utilization and 
liquidation of substances and specific categories of products to prevent their hazardous effects on human life and health and on the environment.  WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
Page 4  
 
 Procedures for the state registration of listed substances and specific product categories are 
established by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan.  
The sanitary and epidemiological service of the Re public of Kazakhstan is an integrated structure 
including public bodies and subsidiary bodies on th e sanitary and epidemiological surveillance. 
The following public bodies form part of the sanitary and epidemiological service:  
- an authorized body on sanitary and epidemio logical welfare and its regional border and 
transport branches; 
- executive bodies operating in the sphere of san itary and epidemiological welfare within 
their territories; and 
- subdivisions of public bodies on sanitary and epidemiological welfare.  
Subsidiary bodies on the sanitary and epidem iological surveillance are represented by: 
- the Republican sanitary and epidemiological centre; 
- public bodies performing sanitary and epidemio logical inspections on the border, within 
their territories, and in vehicles; other public bodies performing sanitary and epidemiological inspections;   
- research organizations operating in the frame work of the national legislation of the 
Republic of Kazakhstan on the issues of sanitary and epidemiological welfare; and 
- public plague-control centres.  
Programs of the state sanitary and epidemiologi cal service to prevent outbreaks of diseases and 
protect human health from harmful or hazardous effects of chemical, biological or physical factors are operated in the Republic of Kazakhstan in su ch a manner as to reflect provisions and 
recommendations developed by the World Hea lth Organization, the International Labour 
Organization, the UN Environmental Program, the re levant international regional organizations, and 
in the framework of international conventions, agre ements, charters, and decl arations on protection of 
human health and environment signed by the Re public of Kazakhstan. The state sanitary and 
epidemiological service is accountable for the entire scope of its activities to the Government of the 
Republic of Kazakhstan and is cont rolled by the General Prosecutor’ s Office and by the Ministry of 
Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan.  
Inspection procedures and procedures for the issuance  of sanitary and epidemiological expert opinions 
on conformity (non-conformity) of products with  the acting national sanitary and epidemiological 
norms and regulations are established under the Ordina nce of the Ministry of Health of the Republic 
of Kazakhstan No. 841 of 14 November 2003 "On Adoption of Rules for Sanitary and Epidemiological Inspection".      
Sampling, laboratory testing and reporting procedur es are established under the relevant guidelines 
and national standards for test methods.  Procedur es for sanitary and epidemiological inspection of 
imported products and the relevant reporting reflect the data contained in the document issued by the 
producer to certify the product safety and the certificate of safety issued by the authorized bodies of the producing country. 
A sanitary and epidemiological expert opinion on th e conformity of products with the acting sanitary  
regulations and hygienic norms, i ssued on the basis of results of a sanitary and epidemiological 
inspection of products by one of the inspection centr es shall be valid in the entire territory of the 
Republic of Kazakhstan and sha ll be shown to the relevant bodies in the process of product 
transportation.  WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
 Page 5 
 
 
 The Law of the Republic of Kaza khstan "On Sanitary and Epidemio logical Safety" as well as all 
acting and proposed sanitary and epidemiological  rules and hygienic norms conform with the 
principles set forth in the WTO Agreement on th e Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures. 
The Republic of Kazakhstan has a developed and reli able open structure of the national sanitary and 
epidemiological standardization based on scientific principles.  Any proposed or reviewed normative 
act or guideline is assessed based on the availabl e scientific evidence and, where its adoption and 
legal assessment is recommended, is submitted for appr oval to the Minister of Health of the Republic 
of Kazakhstan.  
Adopted acts of the sanitary legislation cannot a nd shall not be applied in a manner which would 
restrict access to the Kazakh market for imported products, where they constitute no hazard for human 
life or health. Requirements established under these act s are applied only to the extent necessary to 
protect human life or health. 
Under the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "O n Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare", the 
national sanitary and epidemiological standardizati on shall apply only to the extent required to 
prevent all environmental hazards for human life and health, ensure product safety and eliminate 
factors favourable for the outbreak and spread of diseases.  According to the acting sanitary 
legislation, requirements and norms to protect human  health and ensure product safety shall be based 
on the available results of scientific research and field studies; shall incorporate provisions of international norms, guidelines and recommendati ons (FAO, WHO, the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission, the International Labour Organization, et c.), and shall be applied only to protect human 
health and environment and ensure human safety.  All of these principles are also covered in the 
relevant methodological acts adopted by the Minist ry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 
Sanitary and epidemiological requirements for the procedures of assessment and approval apply 
equally to domestic and imported products. 
Under the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "O n Normative Acts", all acts of the sanitary 
legislation, both new and revised, shall pass le gal assessment procedures introduced to check and 
ensure that they conform with the provisions set forth in the adopted normative acts of the national 
legislation and shall be registered with the Mini stry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan.  
When registered with the Ministry of Justice, a ll normative acts of the Ministry of Health of the 
Republic of Kazakhstan  shall be publis hed in Kazakh official publications.  
II.  Veterinary Measures 
 
The Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of K azakhstan (Department of Veterinary, directed by the 
Senior Government Veterinary Inspector of the Re public of Kazakhstan) is the authorized body on 
veterinary responsible for the implementa tion of the state veterinary control.  
In the oblasts of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the state veterinary control is implemented by zonal 
branches of the state veterinary service on the border and in transport together  with the veterinary 
stations and territorial branches of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 
oblasts and rayons (municipal branches).     
The veterinary system of the Republic of Kazakhstan is represented by:  
- The public institution "National Centre for Monitoring, Reference, Laboratory Testing 
and Methodology in Veterinary" and the Re publican enterprise "Republican Veterinary 
Centre" responsible for the implementation of  the reference and methodological functions WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
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 relating to diagnostics of animal diseases and management of the National Bank of germ 
strains used in Veterinary, and for the epiz ootic monitoring of diseases carried by wild 
animals of the Republic of Kazakhstan.  
- The Republican state enterprise "the Republi can Veterinary Laboratory" and its oblast, 
rayon, and municipal branches responsible fo r the implementation of functions classified 
as a state monopoly:  
- diagnostics of dangerous diseases carried by animals and listed in the Schedule adopted 
by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan;  
- registration testing, approbation of veterinary  drugs, feedstuffs, and feed additives, as 
well as series control of veterinary drugs for reclamation procedures.  
- The Republican state enterprise "VetDez" and its regional subsidiary bodies responsible 
for the implementation of the following functions classified as a state monopoly:  
- liquidation of pockets of dangerous disease s carried by animals and listed in the 
Schedule adopted by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan;   
- disinfection of vehicles at the border veterinary control stations.    
- The state veterinary organizations of th e local executive bodies responsible for the 
implementation of the following functions classified as a state monopoly: 
- liquidation of pockets of dangerous disease s carried by animals and listed in the 
Schedule adopted by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan;   
- disinfection of vehicles at the border veterinary control stations.    
- Branches of the public veterinary bodies responsible for:  
- prevention and diagnostics of diseases carri ed by animals, treatment of infected 
animals owned by the relevant public bodies;  
- implementation of the state veterinary cont rol on objects owned by the relevant public 
bodies.  
- Natural persons and legal entities engaged in business activities in the sphere of 
veterinary.  
The legislative framework regulating issues on the implementation of veteri nary measures includes 
the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 339-II "On Veterinary" of 10 July 2002.   
The Law of the Republic of Kazakhs tan "On Veterinary" has been harmonized with the international 
requirements and the SPS Agreement. According to Article 4 of the Law of the Republic of 
Kazakhstan "On Veterinary",  national policies on veterinary are targeted at the following objectives:   
- to implement the state veterinary control of pr oduction, storage, and distribution (sale) of 
products subject to control of the state veterinary service;  
- to reduce the sphere of the state monopoly on sp ecific forms of veterinary activities listed 
in Article 11 of the Law of the Republic of  Kazakhstan No. 339-II "On Veterinary" of 
10 July 2002; 
- to prevent the entry and spread of infecti ous and exotic diseases carried by animal from 
other countries;  
- 
to ensure independence of the state veterinary service;   WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
 Page 7 
 
 
 - to develop veterinary rules and norms based  on scientific principles and taking into 
account international veterinary norms and av ailable scientific evidence for an objective 
assessment of epizootic conditions; 
- to ensure a higher level of veterinary pr otection than would be achieved by measures 
based on the relevant international recommendati ons, if there is a scientific justification; 
and 
- to ensure that no veterinary procedure to check and ensure the veterinary and sanitary 
safety is applied in a manner which would constitute an unjustifiable restriction on 
distribution or sale of products under control of the state veterinary service.  
To implement the provisions set forth in the Law "O n Veterinary", the Government of the Republic of 
Kazakhstan has adopted the following normative act s by its Resolution No. 407 of 28 April 2003 "On 
Adoption of Normative Acts on Veterinary": 
- Provision on the state veterinary service; 
- Rules for obligatory confiscation and liquida tion of animals, products thereof and raw 
materials of animal origin, where they repr esent an imminent threat for the human or 
animal health, or obligatory liquidation (disinfection) and processing without 
confiscation;  
- Terms and conditions for compensation for dama ges incurred by natural persons and legal 
entities as a result of confiscation and liquidatio ns of animals, products thereof and raw 
materials of animal origin, where they repr esent an imminent threat for the human or 
animal health; 
- Schedule of dangerous diseases carried by animals leading to obligatory confiscation and 
liquidation of animals, products thereof and raw materials of animal origin where they 
represent an imminent threat for the human or animal health;    
- Schedule of dangerous diseases carried by anim als prevented, diagnosed, and eradicated 
using the funds of the Republican budget;  
- Rules for the implementation of the state veteri nary control of products subject to control 
of the state veterinary service when transpor ted across the state border of the Republic of 
Kazakhstan regulating import, expor t and transit of products subject to control of the state 
veterinary service (hereafter - the Rules); and 
- Rules for the establishment of border veterina ry stations in border and customs offices. 
- Procedures for Import of Products Subject  to Control to the Republic of Kazakhstan 
The Republic of Kazakhstan allows access for impor ted products subject to control of the state 
veterinary service, where they originate from count ries with acceptable epizootic conditions and meet 
the following requirements established under the Rules: 
- if imported products conform with the ac ting veterinary (veterinary and sanitary) 
requirements established by the authorized body and have an accompanying veterinary 
certificate or veterinary report; and 
- if the import is authorized by the Senior G overnment Veterinary Inspector of the Republic 
of Kazakhstan or his/her Deputy, on the basis of the results of assessment of epizootic conditions in the exporting country.  
An import permit for products subject to control shall be issued on the basis of a free form application 
submitted by the owner in writing to the oblast (municipal) territorial branch of the authorized body 
on veterinary with an indication of the name and characteristics of products; country of origin; import 
purposes; vehicle type; transport route; entry poin ts, including entry points of the CIS countries and 
the Republic of Kazakhstan; storage, quarantine,  and processing sites; marketing period and other WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
Page 8  
 
 pertinent information in the nativ e language. All information submitte d in the native language shall be 
accompanied with translations in the state or Russian languages.   
An oblast (municipal) territorial branch of the aut horized body on veterinary shall investigate (within 
a period of no more than 15 days) existing possibiliti es (including processing, distribution or sale, and 
storage conditions) for the import of products to a lo cation within its territory.  Where a territorial 
branch arrives at a favourable conclusion, it sha ll provide the veterinary (veterinary and sanitary) 
requirements for a specific category of imported products to the owner and shall apply to the 
authorized body on veterinary in writing with a request to issue an import permit.  The authorized body shall within a period of five business days issue an import permit for a specified product or return a refusal in writing with an indication of the reasons thereof. 
A veterinary inspector of the border veterinary sta tion of the zone branch inspecting products subject 
to control at the entry point shall check and ensure  the availability of a veterinary certificate and a 
permit of the authorized body on veterinary; the consistency of the product name, weight, packaging 
and quantity with the characteristics specified in the accompanying documents; the observance of 
transport conditions and shall collect a foreign vete rinary certificate and replace it with a veterinary 
certificate of the Republic of Kazakhstan.  The "Special Notes" section of the veterinary certificate 
shall contain the number and date of the permit i ssued by the authorized body and the utilization 
scheme for products subject to control (free distribu tion, shelving, processing).  Also, a veterinary 
inspector of the border veterinary station shall inform  the zone border or transport branch of the state 
veterinary service in whose territory  the inspection takes place of the origin of products subject to 
control and their destination point.  
The head of the zone branch at the destination point shall perform sampling (within one business day) 
of imported products subject to c ontrol and send the specimens to the veterinary centre for testing. 
Based on the evidence contained in the report of the veterinary centre, the zone branch takes a final 
decision on imported products.  
Sampling, veterinary and sanitary testing of products subject to control is regulated by the acting 
legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.    
Whenever a product subject to control is objectivel y demonstrated to be infected or otherwise 
inconsistent with the acting veteri nary and sanitary rules and regula tions, or if a product subject to 
control entered the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan with violations of the Rules for the 
veterinary surveillance of products subject to contro l of the state veterinary service transported across 
the state border of the Republic of Kazakhstan, it shall be returned to the exporting country or shall 
undergo disinfection (decontamination) under the proce dures established by the acting legislation.  All 
costs relating to disinfection (decontamination) pr ocedures shall be covered by the owner of the 
product.   
Disinfection (decontamination) procedures shall be ope rated at the destination points in special areas 
specified by the Senior Government Veterinary Inspector within his/her territory (oblast, rayon, city) 
and under his/her control under the procedures establis hed by the acting legislation using funds and 
resources of the owner.   
Under the acting legislation, veterinary and sanitary  testing is obligatory for animals, products and 
raw materials of animal origin impor ted to the Republic of Kazakhstan.  
Redirection of imported products subject to cont rol and changes in the utilization schemes and 
conditions shall be allowed by the authorized bod y upon request of the oblast (municipal) territorial 
branch of the authorized body whose territo ry is designated as the destination point.  WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
 Page 9 
 
 
 Where the national border of the Republic of K azakhstan is crossed by strayed cattle, it shall be 
delivered to the bodies of the state veterinary service operating in the relevant border area for 
quarantine maintenance and elaboration of furt her measures under procedures established by the 
authorized body.   
- Procedures for Export of Products Subject to Control from the Republic of Kazakhstan  
To obtain an export permit for products subject to control, the owner shall apply in writing to the 
oblast (municipal) territorial branch of the authorized body on veterinary in whose territory the products originate or are located at the time of appl ying not later than 15 days before the anticipated 
date of the export operation.  The application package shall include the relevant veterinary 
requirements of the importing country (or a standard fo rm of the veterinary certificate) in the language 
of the original and translated in the state or Russian language with an indication of the importing 
country, name of the product, vehicle type, and en try points of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the 
CIS countries.  
An oblast (municipal) territorial branch of the aut horized body on veterinary shall investigate existing 
possibilities for the products specified in the app lication to be exported from the Republic of 
Kazakhstan based on the available pertinent informat ion on the acting veterinary requirements of the 
importing country, product characteristics, epizootic conditions in the relevant administrative area 
(village, rayon, city) and the availability of resource s for necessary laboratory testing and veterinary 
procedures.  
Where the oblast (municipal) territorial branch of the authorized body on veterinary arrives at a 
favourable conclusion, it initiates procedures spec ified in the veterinary requirements (or the 
veterinary certificate) of the importing country.  After completion of all relevant procedures, the 
oblast (municipal) territorial branch requests the au thorized body on veterinary to issue an export 
permit for the products subject to control. 
The authorized body on veterinary shall within a pe riod of five business days issue an export permit 
for the product specified or return  a refusal in writing with an indication of the reasons thereof. 
Immediately before the products are shipped for export , the rayon (municipal) territorial branch of the 
authorized body on veterinary sha ll specify in the "Special Notes" section of the veterinary certificate 
the number and date of the permit issued by the au thorized body and transit permits issued by central 
public veterinary bodies of other countries designate d in the transport route for products subject to 
control.  
A veterinary inspector of the border veterinary sta tion of the zone branch inspecting products subject 
to control at the exit point shall check and ensure  the availability of a veterinary report; an export 
permit of the authorized body on veterinary; and tr ansit permits of central public veterinary bodies of 
other countries designated in the transport route; en sure the consistency of the product name, weight, 
packaging and quantity with the characteristics speci fied in the accompanying documents; verify the 
observance of transport conditions and shall collect a veterinary report of th e Republic of Kazakhstan 
and  replace it with a veterinary certificate.  
Where violations of the Rules have been objectiv ely demonstrated, export of products subject to 
control from the Republic of Kazakhstan shall be proh ibited and the products shall be returned to the 
owner.   WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
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 - Transit of Products Subject to Control across the territory of the Republic of 
Kazakhstan  
Transit of products subject to control across the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan shall be 
performed in the framework of the internationa l agreements on cooperation in veterinary.   
International transit of products subject to contro l across the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan 
(except transit of live animals) shall not require any special permits if products conform with the 
acting requirements on packaging integrity, cons istency of marking with the accompanying 
documents, availability of the original veterinary certificate of the exporting country.  Transit of live 
animals may be performed only where authorized in writing by the Senior Government Inspector of the Republic of Kazakhstan upon request of the centr al veterinary body of the importing country with 
an indication of entry and exit points, transport r outes, calls, transportation and feeding points. Where 
a transit operation requires transit permits of third countries, they shall be solicited by the owner of the product. 
Decisions passed by officials of the state veterinary service may be appealed along the vertical 
structure of the state veterinary service with highe r ranked veterinary inspectors up to the Senior 
Government Veterinary Inspector of  the Republic of Kazakhstan.   
Under the acting legislation of the Republic of  Kazakhstan, decisions passed by the Senior 
Government Veterinary Inspector of the Republic of Kazakhstan may be appealed in the court of law.  
As a Member of the International Office of Epizoo tics (since 1993), the Ministry of Agriculture of the 
Republic of Kazakhstan takes steps to harmonize the national legislative framework with the 
requirements established under the International Animal Health Code.  
Restrictions or bans on export into the Republic of  Kazakhstan of animal pr oducts may be introduced 
or lifted (in whole or in part) by the Instruction of  the Senior Government Veterinary Inspector of the 
Republic of Kazakhstan (or his/her Deputy) based on the available official information provided by 
the International Office of Epizootics or the centr al body of the State Veterinary Service of the 
relevant country. Where restrictions operated by th e Republic of Kazakhstan are to be lifted, the 
representative of the Department of Veterinary of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of 
Kazakhstan may inspect the territory (producers)  of the exporting county, where necessary.   
The veterinary service of the Republic of Kazakhstan informs the relevant countries of all introduced 
or lifted restrictions (bans) through their embassies in the Republic of Kazakhstan.  
The Kazakh regulatory system is operated in  su ch a manner as to resolve issues relating to the 
recognition of equivalence and adequate reflecti on of regional characteristics of countries exporting 
products of animal origin based on the available in formation on epizootic conditions in a relevant 
country and incorporating recomme ndations developed by the International Office of Epizootics in 
the framework of bilateral agreements concluded with the exporting countries. 
The veterinary service of the Republic of Kazakhsta n emphasizes that at present, given the growing 
number of attempts to import to the Republic of  Kazakhstan products of animal origin from countries 
with controversial epizootic conditions, the acting sy stem of the border veterinary surveillance allows 
to ensure a sustainable epizootic environment in the country. All requirements applied by the 
veterinary service to imported products are ba sed on the guidelines and recommendations of the 
International Office of Epizootics on quality assessme nt and safety of food and food products, and 
national sanitary and veterinary rules and regula tions maintained on solid scientific evidence and 
adopted by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Agriculture of 
the Republic of Kazakhstan.   WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
 Page 11 
 
 
 Bodies of the state veterinary service of the Re public of Kazakhstan run permanent surveillance 
programs to control breeding, slaughtering, an d processing of cattle and fowl. Under the acting 
developed system of identification, each producer or processor of products and raw materials of 
animal origin is assigned a unique code to be include d in the product marking. This practice allows to 
enforce rigid mechanisms of veterinary cont rol over the entire product cycle starting from the 
production to distribution or storage stage. All produ cts of producers (processors ) are surveyed by the 
government veterinary inspectors on staff in the struct ural units of the Ministry of Agriculture of the 
Republic of Kazakhstan.  
Also, the acting legislation of the Republic of K azakhstan requires that internal veterinary control 
centres be established in all enterprises engaged in breeding, slaughtering, storage, processing and 
distribution (sale) of animals, products thereof and raw materials of animal origin, veterinary drugs, 
feedstuffs and feed additives.   
To control infectious diseases carried by animal s, the Republic of Kazakhstan operates special 
government programs to perform vaccination of cattle  and fowl and ensure the adequate volume of 
sanitation and disinfection.  The programs are im plemented by the licensed veterinarians.  
To forecast outbreaks of dangerous diseases carried by  animals and birds and to implement adequate 
preventive countermeasures, or, when already in place, to localize and eradicate them, the Ministry of 
Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan monitors  animal diseases registered in the Republic of 
Kazakhstan and operates a special veterinary centre engaged in epizootic monitoring of wild animals 
and birds. 
III.  Plant Quarantine Measures  
The Ministry of Agriculture is the authorized bod y of the Republic of Kazakhstan on plant quarantine 
responsible for the development of  national policies on plant quarantine.  The Department on Plant 
Protection and Quarantine of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan directed by the Senior Government Inspector of the Republic  of Kazakhstan on Plant Quarantine is directly 
responsible for the operation of plant quarantine procedures.  
Regional controls are enforced by the units of th e state plant quarantine service of oblast territorial 
branches (cities of Astana and Almaty) of the Minist ry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 
Border plant quarantine stations enforce plant quara ntine at entry points on the national border of the 
Republic of Kazakhstan, regional plant quarantine inspectors ensure an adequate level of plant 
quarantine within the country.  
The plant quarantine system operated by the Repub lic of Kazakhstan is regulated by provisions 
established under the following legislative and normative acts: 
- the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 344-1 of 11 February 1999 "On Plant 
Quarantine";  
- the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 773 of 
1 August 2003 "On Adoption of Rules for th e Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan 
from Quarantine Objects" (hereafter – the Rules);  
- the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 1295 of 
10 December 2002 "On Adoption of Schedules of Quarantine Objects and Hazardous 
Organisms";  
- the Ordinance of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan of 
4 February 2003 "On Adoption of the Provision on Government Plant Quarantine 
Inspectors"; WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
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 - the Ordinance of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan of 
6 July 2003 "On Deployment of Border Plant Quarantine Stations";  
- the Ordinance of the Ministry of Agricultu re of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 166 of 
30 May 2002 "On Adoption  of the Nomenc lature for Major Quarantinable Objects 
Subject to Phytosanitary Control under Plant Quarantine Procedures"; and 
- the Ordinance of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 88 of 
31 March 2000 "On Adoption of the Provision on Units Authorized to Perform Phytosanitary Control under Pl ant Quarantine Procedures".  
Quarantinable products subject to phytosanitary control may by imported into the Republic of 
Kazakhstan only where a quarantine permit for import  operations was issued by the Department on 
Plant Protection and Quarantine and signed by the Se nior Government Inspector of the Republic of 
Kazakhstan on Plant Quarantine.  The quarantine perm it for import operations is issued in conformity 
with the procedures established under the Law of th e Republic of Kazakhstan "On Plant Quarantine" 
and the Rules.  The schedule of quarantinable pro ducts subject to phytosanitary control with an 
indication of the HS CIS codes is given in the Nome nclature of major quarantinable objects subject to 
phytosanitary control under plant quarantine procedur es.  All products included in the schedule may 
be imported to or exported from the Republic of Kazakhstan only where a relevant permit has been 
issued by the authorized b ody on plant quarantine.  
A quarantine permit for import operatio ns shall be issued on the basis of an application submitted by 
the consignee in writing to the Department on Plant Protection and Quarantine of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan with  an indication of the name and quantity of 
quarantinable products; vehicle type; country of or igin; exporting country; delivery period; destination 
points; and points of entry into the Republic of Kazakhstan.  
A quarantine permit for import operations shall sp ecify phytosanitary conditions binding for each 
shipment of quarantinable products and stipulate that each shipment shal l have an accompanying 
phytosanitary certificate to objectively demonstrat e that imported products conform with the acting 
phytosanitary requirements.  Phytosanitary condition s of quarantinable products are verified in the 
course of the examination of the entire shipment and sampling performed in conformity with the 
acting GOST standards, guidelines and othe r normative documents and regulations.  
A phytosanitary certificate shall be issued by the bodies of the state plant quarantine service of the 
exporting country.  
Whenever it is objectively demonstrated that quara ntinable products contain quarantine objects or 
otherwise violate acting quarantine Rules, are not accompanied with the required import/export 
documents, are inconsistent with the requireme nts established under the Rules or a relevant 
international agreement of the Republic of Kazakhs tan on plant quarantine, the authorized body on 
plant quarantine shall act in accordance with Article  14 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On 
Plant Quarantine" stipulating that "infected produc ts exported from the qua rantine zone shall be 
returned, disinfected, or delivered to a processing enterprise. Where disinfection or reprocessing of 
infected products is impossible, they shall be re called and liquidated following procedures established 
under the relevant normative acts". 
Any natural person or legal entity may appeal actio ns of the government plant quarantine inspectors 
relating to the import of quarantin able products to the Republic of Kazakhstan in the authorized body 
of the Republic of Kazakhstan on plant quarantine.  Where natural persons and legal entities wish to 
dispute the decisions passed down by the authori zed body of the Republic of Kazakhstan on plant 
quarantine, they may do so following procedures established under the acting legislation of the 
Republic of Kazakhstan.   WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
 Page 13 
 
 
 Based on the phytosanitary dynamics in the ex porting country, the authorized body on plant 
quarantine may, in urgent circumstances, provision ally introduce restrictions (bans) on import of 
quarantinable products into the Republic  of Kazakhstan.  In such circum stances, it shall provide to the 
relevant service in the exporting country all pertin ent information on its actions.  Where repeated 
supply of infected quarantinable products has been registered, the Republic of Kazakhstan may 
impose a total ban on import of the relevant product.   However, contentious issues are normally open 
for negotiations. 
In specific cases where large amounts of products  are supplied or imported from countries whose 
phytosanitary conditions have not been adequately analyzed, the authorized body on plant quarantine 
may dispatch an expert to the importing country for inspection at source.  
Legal documents developed by the authorized body of the Republic of Kazakhstan on plant 
quarantine to regulate import of qua rantinable products reflect the fo llowing provisions and principles 
established under of the International Plant Prot ection Convention and SPS Agreement and provisions 
and principles developed by the European and Me diterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO), 
all of which serve as a framework for coordination of  various phytosanitary norms on the international 
level. 
- Free areas 
In line with the accepted international practice,  where quarantinable products are imported from 
countries on whose territory cases of infection with disease-carrying or disease-causing organisms were registered, the Republic of Kazakhstan a llows access for products imported from pest- or 
disease-free areas or from pest- or disease-free production areas. 
- Sovereignty 
To prevent entry or spread of disease-carrying or  disease-causing organisms in its territory, each 
country may develop and implement a sovereign phytosanitary rule to  regulate import operations with 
quarantinable products.  
- Minimum Impact  
This principle requires that phytosanitary measu res of every country represent the least trade-
restrictive measures available. 
- Equivalence 
The Republic of Kazakhstan recognizes phytosanita ry measures of the exporting countries as 
equivalent, where they achieve the appropriate level of plant protection.  For instance, the guidelines 
developed by the authorized body on plant quarantine rely heavily on the fumigation technology as a 
major instrument of protection of quarantinable pr oducts.  However, if the exporting country applies 
the standard refrigeration technologies, they are accepted by the Republic of Kazakhstan as 
equivalent.  
- Regionalization  
The authorized body on plant qua rantine uses existing opportunities to deliver imported products to 
areas with unfavourable conditions for the estab lishment of specific disease-carrying or disease-
causing organisms (least risk areas).    WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
Page 14  
 
 - Cooperation 
The parties cooperate on issues relating to the m echanisms of spread prevention and control of 
disease-carrying or disease-causing organisms with officially accepted methods of control of quarantinable objects. 
- Risk Assessment  
Whenever an international standard does not exis t, Members shall use risk  assessment methods based 
on the available relevant biological and economic ev idence to determine what pests or diseases shall 
be included in the schedule of quarantine groups  and ensure that countermeasures are not more 
restrictive than required to achieve the adequate level of protection. 
The authorized body of the Republic of Kazakhstan on plant quarantine notes that at present, given 
the growing number of attempts to import to the Republic of Kazakhstan qua rantinable products from 
countries with controversial phytosanitary conditions , the acting system of the border phytosanitary 
control and internal quarantine mechanisms suffer from significant setbacks as a result of persisting 
staff shortages and lack of qualified plant quarantine inspectors all of which  factors prevent to ensure 
a sustainable phytosanitary environment in the country.  
With the view to ensure an adequate level of tr ansparency in accordance w ith the Resolution of the 
Government of the Republic of Ka zakhstan No. 1627 of 30 October 2000, the Ministry of Agriculture 
of the Republic of Kazakhstan is taking active step s to implement the Information Marketing System 
designed to enable dynamic exchange of analy tical marketing information between agricultural 
producers, public bodies, and other participants of the agricultural market; to ensure an efficient 
regulation of the sectoral development and shape th e national system of the agricultural business, as 
well as to interact with the releva nt international organizations.  
At present, the Information Marketing System of th e Ministry of Agriculture embraces all territorial 
bodies involved in veterinary surveillance and quar antine control. This practice enables a dynamic 
informational exchange and raises their performance to a higher level.  
In the framework of the Information Marketing Sy stem, the Ministry of Agriculture has opened a 
web-site www.minagri.kz and publishes an informati onal analytical bulletin "AgroInform" containing 
the texts of all normative acts adopted by the Minist ry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 
including the acts on veterinary, plant protection and quarantine.   
Currently, the veterinary and plant quarantine services of the Republic of Kazakhstan pass their 
decisions on restricting import opera tions on the basis of available pe rtinent information provided by 
the relevant international organizations on outbr eaks and spread of diseases carried by animals or 
plants in various countries of the world.  This prac tice, in general, reflects the provisions set forth in 
Paragraph 7 of Article 5 of the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures:  "In cases where relevant scientific evid ence is insufficient, a Member may provisionally 
adopt sanitary or phytosanitary measures on the basi s of available pertinent information, including 
that from the relevant international organizations as well as from sanitary or phytosanitary measures 
applied by other Members.  In such circumstan ces, Members shall seek to obtain the additional 
information necessary for a more objective asses sment of risk and review the sanitary or 
phytosanitary measure accordingly w ithin a reasonable period of time". 
However, to ensure the observan ce of the provisions set forth in Paragraphs 3 of Article 3 
"Harmonization" and Article 5 "Assessment of Risk ", the Republic of Kazakhstan needs a developed 
network of laboratories, border veterinary and quarantine stations, equipped with the up-to-date 
instruments and an extensive scientific base to objec tively demonstrate to importing countries that it  WT/ACC/KAZ/45 
 Page 15 
 
 
 operates procedures maintained on solid scientific ev idence.  The results of research conducted in the 
operating veterinary and quarantine laboratories show that their equipment used to test acceptable 
levels of contaminants and hazardous substances in  foods, beverages or feedstuffs is morally and 
physically obsolete.  
Upgrading operating laboratories, veterinary a nd quarantine stations constitutes a more urgent 
problem given the need of the Republic of Kazakhstan to ensure the adequate level of food safety.   
As a result, veterinary and quarantine services will have more powerful resources for minute analysis 
of imported products subject to control which will sh ield the domestic market from the entry of low-
quality or hazardous products of animal or plant origin. 
Given the above, the Republic of Kazakhstan operates a large-scale program aiming at the transition 
to the use of international sta ndards and, in so doing, sides with the opponents of application of 
phytosanitary and veterinary measures as they cons titute means for imposing unjustifiable restrictions 
on trade.  The transition to the use of internati onal standards calls for extensive stage-by-stage 
measures both on the national leve l and in the private sector.  Operating laboratories and acting 
standards were created at the time when Kazakhsta n was a part of the Soviet Union, and now they 
need full revision. 
Hence, the Republic of Kazakhstan believes that th e implementation of the above measures in the 
framework of the SPS Agreement shall require a transition period.  
 
 
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