  We study the replacement of SU(3) by SU_q(3) in standard gauge theories. At
the level of a global theory there is a physically sensible SU_q(3) formalism
with measurable differences from the SU(3) theory. In contrast to the SU_q(2)
case, where it is possible to construct a q-electroweak theory, there is no
local (Yang-Mills) formalism for SU_q(3).
