G/SPS/GEN/1955  
7 October  2021 
(21-7561) Page: 1/5 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original:  Spanish  
 
  
ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN BY THE INTERNATIONAL REGIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR  
PLANT AND ANIMAL HEALTH (OIRSA) RELATING TO THE WTO AGREEMENT  
ON THE APPLICATION OF SANITARY AND  
PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES  
REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE ON SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES,  
MAY TO SEPTEMBER  2021 
The following communication, received on 5 October  2021, is being circulated at the request of OIRSA . 
 
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1  TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES RELATING TO 
AGRICULTURAL HEAL TH AND TRADE  
1.1.  Courses on the prevention and control of bovine paralytic rabies (BPR)  were organized and 
coordinated in response to several  outbreaks in different parts of Honduras . The courses were 
attended by 275 professionals . The National Agriculture and  Food Health and Safety Service 
(SENASA) was provided with technical guidance on strategies to control BPR outbreaks and was 
given assistance with the preparation and publication of instructional material.  
1.2.  A virtual seminar on classical swine fever and its  impact on trade was held for veterinarians 
in Guatemala . 
1.3.  A workshop on African swine fever (ASF) prevention and control measures was organized for 
professional and technical staff of the Agricultural Protection Service (SEPA) of the Guatemalan 
Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food . Virtual talks were also held on the biosecure disposal of 
carcasses of ASF -infected pigs and the cleaning and disinfection of buildings and vehicles where ASF 
is present . Furthermore, an operational manual for t he biosecure disposal of animal carcasses was 
developed as an annex to the regional manual of best practices for dealing with health emergencies.  
1.4.  Virtual training was provided on the phytosanitary status of Musaceae  and on 
Fusarium  oxysporum  f. sp. cubense  tropical race 4 (Foc TR4) prevention strategies in Venezuela . It 
was attended by 400 specialists representing 12 countries . In addition, a monitoring simulation was 
carried out to prepare technical teams in the Dominican Republic for a po tential  Foc TR4 o utbreak.  
1.5.  OIRSA presented its activities in response to phytosanitary threats or emergencies in its region 
to the IPPC.  
1.6.  A training workshop was held for plant pest surveillance, quarantine and pest risk analysis 
specialists of OIRSA member States on the Crop Protection Compendium (CPC) and PRA tool of the 
CABI platform . Approximately 110 professionals took part.  
1.7.  Citrus producers and nursery workers in El Salvador were trained on the healthy plant 
production process with the aim of preventing citrus greeni ng disease, or Huanglongbing (HLB), and 
other diseases affecting their crops.  G/SPS/GEN/1955  
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  1.8.  An international phytosanitary conference on the giant African snail was held and 580 people 
from countries across the American continent attended to hear experiences of the inte grated 
management of this pest in countries where it had been reported . Costa Rica and the 
Dominican  Republic were given advice on the implementation of activities in the context of the 
regional emergency caused by giant African snails . Canine -human teams were also trained to "plant" 
the scent of these snails in the dogs' olfactory memory.  
1.9.  Canine units in the Dominican Republic and Belize began training for the non -intrusive detection 
of plant and animal products in luggage and packages . This means that all  OIRSA member States 
will have canine units.  
1.10.  Costa Rica's State Phytosanitary Service (SFE) was given advice on fumigation chambers to 
be installed in the country . A virtual course was run to certify staff at the International Quarantine 
Treatment Service (SITC) of Guatemala and the SITC and SEPA of Honduras under the 
Australian  Fumigation Accreditation Scheme.  
1.11.  Webinars were developed on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for the 
growing, harvesting, packing and holding of fresh agricultura l produce and on the labelling and 
quality requirements for food exports to the European Union.  
1.12.  A training course on remote audits was provided to food safety delegates from OIRSA 
member  States.  
1.13.  A dialogue was held on food safety challenges for sustainable  production.  
1.14.  Online training days and ongoing technical support was provided to internal and external users 
of the electronic registration management system of Honduras.  
1.15.  In Panama, training was provided on the use of the Trazar -Agro system under  the follow ing 
modules : agricultural, aquaculture and fishery registration , aquaculture traceability , and movement 
control and traceability of fishery products . Furthermore, traceability specialists and National Animal 
Health Directorate specialists in Panama were tr ained on the use of the Trazar -Agro system , with 
the aim of  building local capacities to enhance the traceability of livestock and strengthen the 
veterinary services' activities.  
2  SUPPORT FOR THE HARMONIZATION AND EQUIVALENCE PROCESS  
2.1.  Twenty -two laboratory diagnostic tests for animal diseases were accredited.  
2.2.  Meetings were h eld with the Regional Technical Committee on Poultry Health with the aim of 
facilitating harmonization of international animal welfare standards on laying hens.  
2.3.  A working meeting of the National Veterinary Drug Committee of Guatemala was organized to 
follow up on the activities to harmonize the register of veterinary drugs and animal feed.  
2.4.  OIRSA was involved in the development and signing of the Strategic Plan for the National Codex 
Alimentarius Programme together with the El Salvador National Codex Committ ee. 
2.5.  The harmonized protocol on epidemiological and statistical sampling for aflatoxins in maize was 
submitted to the Technical Group on Plant and Animal Health and Food Safety at the Central 
American Agricultural Council for approval.  
2.6.  Belize and El Salvado r were assisted with  their work on their respective national lists of 
regulated quarantine pests.  G/SPS/GEN/1955  
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  3  PREVENTION, CONTROL AND ERADICATION ACTIVITIES (PROGRAMMES OR 
CAMPAIGNS)  
3.1.  As part of the implementation of the national programme for the progressive control o f bovine 
brucellosis and tuberculosis in Guatemala, OIRSA supported  the development of biosecurity guides 
and sanitation plans for both diseases . It also provided support to the programme for the progressive 
control of tuberculosis in El Salvador and rende red technical assistance to SENASA (Honduras) with 
the aim of developing approaches and strategies for farms affected by bovine brucellosis.  
3.2.  Kits were acquired for the regional diagnosis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) 
in Guatemala.  
3.3.  Guatemala was  given advice on dealing with "nonconformities" presented by the 
World  Organization for Animal Health (OIE) with the classical swine fever (CSF) dossier.  
3.4.  In response to the emergency due to the ASF outbreak in the Dominican Republic : (a) regional 
health wa rning material, containing recommendations for the other OIRSA member States, was 
developed and disseminated ; (b) joint action was taken in coordination with other cooperation 
agencies ( the OIE, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ( FAO), the 
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA)) ; (c) on -site technical assistance was provided to support  the campaign to 
control and eradicate ASF in the Dominican Republic ; (d) training was given  to emergency brigades ; 
(e) a plan of action and logical framework were developed to contain, control and eradicate the 
ASF outbreak in the Dominican Republic ; and (f) support was provided in conjunction with the 
Dominican Republic's Ministry of Agriculture for the design, development and implementation of a 
mobile application to record outbreaks, establishments, the animal population and the gathering of 
field samples in order to improve the ASF information system.  
3.5.  The citrus HLB proj ect carried out by the Guatemalan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and 
Food, the Chinese Taipei International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF)  and OIRSA was 
evaluated . The needs identified included the improvement of HLB diagnostic laboratories, t he 
construction of net houses for the production of healthy plants and the creation of demonstration 
plots. Furthermore, Costa Rica was assisted  in the process of donating specimens or breeding stock 
of the biological control insect Tamarixia radiata  to Panama in order to reinforce strategies against 
the citrus HLB vector . Moreover, the El Salvador Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock was supported 
in its activities to handle and control the phytosanitary emergency caused by citrus HLB.  
3.6.  OIRSA carried out a technical field mission jointly with SFE specialists in Costa Rica to support 
the confinement and eradication of the giant African snail ( Achatina  fulica ) pest . A regional 
phytosanitary alert was issued for the exclusion of A. fulica  from OIR SA member States . The alert  
recommended taking steps such as banning the entry of snails into countries in the region, 
strengthening plant pest surveillance and quarantine systems, and enhancing diagnostic capacities.  
3.7.  Technical analysis and advisory meetings on Central American locust ( Schistocerca piceifrons 
piceifrons ) forecast indicators were held in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El  Salvador . 
Furthermore, action was coordinated with the FAO and the ministries of agriculture to  prevent pest 
outbreaks in the region . A regional technical group on Central American locusts was set up with the 
participation of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa  Rica and 
Panama . The aim is to identify a focal point in e ach of these countries and provide all necessary 
tools to implement the action plan when required.  
3.8.  The swine traceability module was developed and approved in cooperation with the 
Guatemalan  Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food in support of the imp lementation plans and 
the requirements for submission of the application dossier for recognition of CSF disease status to 
the OIE.  
3.9.  The purchase of official individual identification devices was arranged to support the bovine 
vaccination programme in Hondur as. 
3.10.  A programme to monitor inorganic arsenic in polished rice in OIRSA member States was 
launched in cooperation with the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture.  G/SPS/GEN/1955  
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  4  STRENGTHENING OF NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN ORDER TO FACILITATE TRADE  
4.1.  Support was provided in the pro cess of deep integration towards the free movement of persons 
and goods between Guatemala and Honduras, in the field of  sanitary and phytosanitary measures . 
Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and the Dominican Republic were provided with the swine 
traceab ility module  as part of the move to strengthen the national traceability systems and  in support 
of the implementation plans and the requirements for submission of the application dossier for 
recognition of CSF disease status to the OIE and, in particular, in support of regional ASF alert 
activities.  
4.2.  The Honduras National Traceability System was kept operational and expanded with movement 
controls on bovine animals, pigs and aquaculture products using movement checkpoints.  
4.3.  Support was provided to the authori ties of the Dominican Republic in improving the Central 
Veterinary Laboratory's analytical capacities for pesticide residues.  
4.4.  Meetings of the Guatemalan National Technical Commission on Swine were coordinated to 
monitor the activities of the swine health p rogramme and to establish measures to prevent the entry 
of ASF into national territory.  
4.5.  The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food of Guatemala, the faculty of veterinary medicine 
and animal husbandry of San Carlos University and OIRSA held an inter -institutional  meeting to 
improve the diagnosis of animal diseases at the Regional Animal Health Reference Laboratory 
(LARRSA).  
4.6.  To support the process of exporting live cattle to Mexico, the national traceability systems of 
Guatemala and Nicaragua were given  assistance in preparing the single guide on sanitary movement 
and control (GUIASA) for exports . Proof of origin, official individual identification and the sanitary 
status of animals are requirements for entry into the destination country.  
4.7.  The section on characterizing establishments of the mobile application for agricultural, 
aquaculture and fishery registration was developed with assistance from the epidemiology 
department of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) of Panama . This is an important  tool 
for learning about species of epidemiological significance within a production unit.  
4.8.  The electronic registration management system, an IT platform for the systemization of the 
animal health, plant health and food safety services, was launched  in Hond uras. It is available to  
sectors involved in the production, processing, marketing and distribution of animal and plant 
products and by -products from agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries.  
5  STRATEGIC ALLIANCES FOR THE PROMOTION OF HEALTH AND TRADE  
5.1.  OIRSA si gned a technical cooperation agreement together with the Ministry of Agriculture, 
Livestock and Food and the Palm Growers Association (GREPALMA) of Guatemala to strengthen 
action for the prevention of, protection against and inspection for economic and quarantine 
palmaceae pests in the country's territory.  
5.2.  A phytosanitary task force on (Foc TR4) was formed . It is a group of experts from 
Bioversity -CIAT, the National Banana Corporation of Costa Rica (CORBANA), the National Agri -Food 
Health, Safety and Qua lity Service (SENASICA) and OIRSA that provides technical and scientific 
support to the phytosanitary authorities of countries that request it and recommends measures for 
the exclusion, prevention, containment and phytosanitary management of such pests.  
5.3.  The Regional Directorate of Quarantine Services and the USDA Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service (APHIS) carried out joint work to train canine units at the USDA's canine schools . 
Dogs are being trained to recognize the scents of new invasive alien sp ecies in cooperation with 
SENASICA of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Mexico and the Executive 
Directorate for Agricultural Quarantine of MIDA in Panama.  G/SPS/GEN/1955  
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  5.4.  A roadmap for the implementation of swine traceability in Panama was developed wi th the 
support of the private pig farming sector . It includes training, skills transfer, awareness -raising and 
standard -setting activities and a pilot scheme for the individual identification of animals for breeding, 
group identification and movement contr ol. 
5.5.  A partnership was established with the Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification 
(AENOR) to build capacities in OIRSA member States through technical training on food safety.  
5.6.  A partnership was established with the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture to monitor inorganic 
arsenic in polished rice in OIRSA member States.  
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