WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/GEN/281
5 October 2001
(01-4828)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English/
Spanish
ACTIONS ORIENTED TO IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
AGREEMENT ON SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES
January-September 2001
Communication from OIRSA
Introduction
OIRSA is an international organization devoted to provide support to the plant and animal
health of its eight member countries.1  One of its main objectives is to promote and give assistance to
the eight countries for the implementation of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures of the WTO.  For this reason, OIRSA presents the following informationabout actions carried out during the first half of 2001.
Phytosanitary actions
1. OIRSA has actively supported execution of operational plans for the control of the pine beetle
(Dendroctonus  spp.) in Nicaragua and Honduras.   OI RSA has also supported development of a
profile and economic study for the "Regional Program for the Possible Eradication of the Medfly andIntegrated Management of Other Fruit Flies in Cent ral America, Belize and Panama".  It continues to
provide advice and follow-up on pink mealybug ( Maconellicoccus hirsutus , Green) in Belize and
neighboring countries.
2. OIRSA sponsors meetings for Registration Chiefs/Responsible Officials of Pesticide
Programs to discuss the harmonized standards within the region.  OIRSA sends a representative to themeetings of the Interim Committee on Phytosanitary Measures (ICPM) convened by the Secretariat of
the International Plant Protection Convention, as well as to the Coordinating Committee of the Project
RLA/5/045-OIEA/OIRSA/Countries.
Sanitary actionsPrevention of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and Foot and Mouth Disease
3. OIRSA has underway the "Regional Project for the Strengthening of Sanitary Surveillance
Services for Prevention of Foot-and-Mouth Diseas e and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy" which
is mainly focused on the following:
• Communication and sanitary education;
                                                     
1 Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama.G/SPS/GEN/281
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• Epidemiological surveillance and laboratory diagnosis;
• Technical review of the quarantine posts;
• Development of simulations.
4. The Chiefs of Animal Health from Mexico and Central American countries were convened to
seek harmonization of criteria on foot-and-mouth disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
Other actions
5. Meetings of Ministers of Agriculture and Livestock from the region were held in Nicaragua
and El Salvador, to deal with the avian influenza issue.  A project was prepared for the control and
eradication of avian diseases, as a joint effort between the public and private sectors, and OIRSA.
6. Through an agreement with FAO, the 1st Meeting of the Steering Committee for the
Continental Plan for eradication of classical swine fever from the Americas was held in Costa Rica.In addition, arrangements were made with the Nicaraguan Government to continue the vaccination of
pigs in Rivas and Rio San Juan, and a risk analysis  was undertaken to detect the transmission level of
the disease.
7. A seminar on Epidemiology and Risk Analysis was held in El Salvador, in cooperation with
the USDA Center of Epidemiology in Animal Health, as well as the 4
th Meeting of the Ad-hoc
Working Group on Risk Analysis of the OIE Office for the Americas.
8. Standards and procedures for zoosanitary aquaculture were harmonized.
9. As a joint effort with the University of Guatemala, the 80-hour academic course on plant and
animal quarantine has been continued.
Food Safety
10. Following the earthquakes in El Salvador, OIRSA provided the national authorities with an
action plan to prevent food-transmitted diseases.
11. Support was provided to member countries to organize their National Codex Committees and
to enforce their standards.
12. The "Diagnosis of the Regional Status of Food Safety" and the "Manual for Control Systems,
Quality Assurance, and Safety of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables" were completed.
13. Training has been provided on HACCP in El Salvador and Costa Rica, and a "Regional
Workshop on Control Systems, Quality Assurance, and Safety of Fresh Vegetables" was held in
Panama.
Ongoing ProjectsVIFINEX
14. With the financial assistance of the Republic of China, a project is underway whose main
objective is to strengthen phytosanitary surveillance in non-traditional export crops.G/SPS/GEN/281
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Establishment of Medfly-free areas
15. In Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras, serious actions are being undertaken to
establish Medfly-free areas with international recognition.  In the first two countries, FAO and
OIRSA are conducting the projects.  In Honduras and Nicaragua, the projects are under themanagement of OIRSA with financial assistance from USDA.
International Regional Organization for Plant and Animal Health
HeadOffice:  San Salvador, El Salvador, C.A.
Telephone:  (503)  279-0174 / Fax (503) 279-0189
Web site:  www.oirsa.org.sv
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