¡Ya no más! Ganaderos y transportadores anuncian paro por caos en plataforma del ICA | El Colombiano – El Colombiano

Cattle ranchers and transport operators in Colombia have announced a national strike scheduled for May 19, 2026, citing critical failures in the digital platform managed by the Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA). The protest is a response to ongoing technical instability within the SINIGAN system, which is used to process the mandatory transport guides required for the legal movement of livestock.

The dispute centers on the implementation of SINIGAN V6, a version of the platform intended to modernize the traceability of bovine livestock in Colombia. While the update was presented as a necessary technological advancement, industry representatives report that the transition has been plagued by systemic errors that prevent users from completing essential administrative tasks.

The primary point of contention is the inability of producers and transporters to issue transport guides. These documents are legal requirements for moving cattle across regional and national borders. Without a functioning platform to generate these guides, the movement of animals becomes unauthorized, exposing ranchers and drivers to legal penalties and hindering the flow of livestock to markets and slaughterhouses.

In the department of Antioquia, cattle ranchers and transporters have specifically highlighted the critical nature of these failures as the catalyst for the May 19 strike. The regional unrest reflects a broader national frustration with the ICA’s management of the digital transition.

Asoganorte, an organization representing cattle ranchers in the northern region of the country, has also issued formal complaints regarding the platform. The organization stated that the failures in the ICA platform have made it nearly impossible to process the necessary transport guides, effectively paralyzing the logistical operations of the sector in their jurisdiction.

The failure of the SINIGAN V6 system has led to different interpretations within the industry. Some analysts and producers view the situation as a technical failure resulting from a poorly managed transition. They argue that while modernization is necessary, the current state of the software requires immediate correction to avoid further economic damage to the agricultural sector.

Other industry voices have framed the technical chaos as something more intentional. Reports from regions such as Santa Marta suggest that the instability of the platform is not merely a technical glitch but is instead part of a political campaign aimed at pressuring the Colombian cattle industry.

The broader issue of traceability, described by some industry observers as a complex web, is at the heart of the conflict. Traceability systems are designed to track animals from birth through their entire production cycle. When the digital infrastructure fails, this chain is broken, which can impact not only domestic regulation but also the ability of Colombia to meet international standards for livestock exports.

The economic implications of the platform’s failure are significant. Transporters who rely on the movement of livestock for their livelihoods are facing lost income due to the inability to secure legal documentation for their loads. Similarly, ranchers are facing bottlenecks in their production cycles, as they cannot move cattle to the appropriate facilities for sale or processing.

Spokespeople for the bovine transport sector have indicated that the strike on May 19 will proceed unless the ICA provides real and immediate solutions to the platform’s instability. The industry is demanding a system that allows for the seamless issuance of transport guides without the recurring errors currently associated with the V6 update.

The ICA has not yet provided a public timeline for the resolution of the SINIGAN V6 errors, leaving the sector in a state of uncertainty as the date for the national strike approaches.