. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/COL/48
18 June 2001
(01-3037)
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:  Ministry of Economic Development
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where
applicable).  Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or
practicable:  Animal feed, bags, cocoa, cereals, chocolate, plastic and metal containers,
glass containers, fertilizers, pesticides, agro-pharmaceutical products, products made fromfruit, products made from pulses, products made from leguminous plants, packing tubes and
sacks
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Draft Resolution "Making
Non-Mandatory Certain Mandatory Colombian Official Technical Standards" (7 pages, in
Spanish)
5. Description of content:  Colombian Technical Standard (NTC) 34 (fifth revision),
agricultural chemical products, fertilizers, soil improvers and conditioners.  Paragraphs:  all;
NTC 40 (fifth revision), agricultural chemical products, chemical fertilizers, labelling.
Paragraphs:  all;  NTC 122 (third revision), agricultural chemical products, fertilizer urea.Paragraphs:  all;  NTC 134 (fourth revision), agricultural chemical products, agricultural
pesticides, definitions and classification.  Paragraphs:  all;  NTC 200 (sixth revision),
agricultural pesticides, labelling.  Paragraphs:  all;  NTC 366 (second revision), food
industries, grain corn for consumption.  Paragraphs:  4.1.1) waste material, 7.2.5) pest,
residue and pesticide management instructions;  NTC 479 (third revision), agro-industry,
animal feed, sources of calcium and phosphorus.  Paragraphs:  4.5) maximum metal content,
4.7) maximum arsenic content;  NTC 536 (third revision), food industries, sesame seeds forindustrial use.  Paragraphs:  2.1.8) objectionable smells, 4.1.6) aflatoxin requirements;
NTC 604 (first revision), wheat for consumption.  Paragraphs:  4.1.2) toxic waste;
NTC 671 (second revision), agro-industry, grains, cereals and pulses, white rice for
consumption. Paragraphs:  2.1.16) moisture content;  NTC 844 (third revision), agricultural
chemical products, pesticides, plastic packaging for pesticides.  Paragraphs:  3.1) cracks,3.2) water tightness, 3.6) safety fastening, 4.1) empty space, 4.2) leak-tightness, 4.3) impact
strength, 4.4) breaking strength of fastening, 4.5) compressive strength, 4.6) bending
strength of handle, 4.7) chemical resistance;  NTC 871 (first revision), beans for
consumption. Paragraphs:  2.1.11) moisture content;  NTC 883 (first revision), agro-
industry, fresh fruit, table grapes, classification.  Paragraphs:  3.4) pesticide residues;  NTC937 (first revision), grains and cereals, lentils for consumption.  Paragraphs:  4.2) toxic
waste;  NTC 1,103 (second revision), food industries, table tomatoes.  Paragraphs:
2) stating that "pesticide levels should not  exceed the maximum international limits (the
Codex Alimentarius) or those established by the country of destination"; NTC 1,252
(second revision), food industries, cocoa.G/SPS/N/COL/48
Page 2
5. Description of content:   (cont'd) Paragraphs:  3) general conditions, table 1, mouldy grain,
sprouted grain, grain damaged by insects and moisture, well-fermented grain and
insufficiently fermented grain;  NTC 2,706 (first revision), agricultural chemical products,
pesticides, glass containers.  Paragraphs: 3.1) cracks, 3.3) leak-tightness, 4.1) empty space,
4.2) degree of annealing, 4.3) thermal shock re sistance, 4.4) chemical durability, 4.5) wall
thickness;  NTC 2,707 (first revision), agricultural chemical products, pesticides, metal
packaging.  Paragraphs:  4.1) table 1 (capacity, empty space), 4.4) leakage;  NTC 2,708
(first revision), agricultural chemical products, pesticides, paper packaging.  Paragraphs:
2.1) moisture and chemical resistance, 2.2) num ber of paper ply, 3) basic mass;  NTC 3,553,
agricultural chemical products, fertilizers, sulphur for soil conditioners.  Paragraphs: 
4.2) selenium and arsenic content;  NTC 3,584, pesticides, guide to the disposal of pesticide
residues.  Paragraphs:  all on Control and Surveillance Department, Colombian AgriculturalInstitute.
6. Objective and rationale: [     ] food safety,  [     ] animal health,  [     ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [     ] protect territory from
other damage from pests           
7. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [     ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:           
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available: Law 155 of 1959,
Law 170 of 1994 and Decree 2,522 of 4 December 2000 (available in Spanish)
9. Proposed date of adoption:  Date of publication
10. Proposed date of entry into force:    4 August 2001
11. Final date for comments:  4 August 2001
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [     ] National notification
authority, [    X ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:
Ministerio de Desarrollo Económico
Dirección de Comercio y Promoción de la Competencia
Carrera 13, No. 28 – 01, Piso 7°
Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
Tel:  (571) 350-5500 Ext. 1700
Fax:  (571) 350-9564E-mail:  normalizacion01@mindesa.gov.co
12. Texts available from: [  X   ] National notification authority, [  X   ] National enquiry
point or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
Address, telephone and fax number of another body:  
Ministerio de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural
Avenida Jiménez No. 7-65
Bogotà, D.C., ColombiaTel:  341-9005
Fax: 282-8388