./.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/GEN/454
18 November 2003
(03-6161)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  Spanish
HEALTH INFORMATION CONCERNING FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE
Statement by Paraguay at the Meeting of 29-30 October 2003
1. Paraguay, a landlocked developing country, has an economy largely based on agricultural and
forestry production, and consequently products from those sectors account for a large share of its
exports.  In this context, Paraguay is making a considerable effort to integrate itself into theinternational trading system, developing programmes to control and eradicate diseases and to bring its
products into line with the health and quality standards applicable to the international markets.
2. Just as this process was gradually taking shape, the country suffered a major setback in the
form of two occurrences of foot-and-mouth disease,  which meant that it was immediately cut off from
its main markets for meat and meat products, and faced considerable economic losses.
3. The first case occurred in October 2002, and was duly communicated and discussed with the
Members of this Committee.
4. The second case of foot-and-mouth disease occurred on 12 July 2003 in Pozo Hondo,
Department of Boquerón, in an indigenous settlement  some 2 kilometres from the border.  As in the
first case, the Paraguayan veterinary service proceeded in a fully transparent manner, acting in strictconformity with the OIE and the River Plate Basi n Agreement and adopting the measures most suited
to the country immediately after the disease was confirmed by a laboratory diagnosis, which identified
types O and A foot-and-mouth disease viruses.
5. One of the main measures taken on this occasion was the sacrifice and total destruction of the
animals:  95 bovines, 160 caprines, 60 ovines and 14  porcines.  This was followed by other measures,
such as an epidemiological surveillance of the area, transit control and a prohibition on the entire
department of Boquerón, and in the perifocal area, emergency revaccination of the bovine herds andall animals of species susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease, and sero-epidemiological surveillance in
all establishments in the area.
6. It should be stressed that the case occurred in a naturally isolated area, where animals are bred
exclusively to feed the local inhabitants and there is no connection with the areas producing animals
for slaughter and cold storage with a view to marketing the meat domestically and/or abroad.  Thismade it easier to control the outbreak immediatel y.  On 12 October 2003, after a precautionary period
of 90 days, the indigenous settlers were given, entirely free of charge, a number of animals equal to
the number slaughtered following the occurrence of the disease.
7. In response to this situation, Paraguay decided to give priority, through its health services, to
recovering its sanitary status as a country free from foot-and-mouth disease with vaccination, byworking intensively with all of the actors, the public sector and the different private organizations,
producers and professionals with a view, inter alia , to:
• Forming animal health commissions at the national level, made up of representatives
of public and private organizations;G/SPS/GEN/454
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• organizing supervised vaccination of all bovine animals twice a year;
• obtaining sworn declarations of animals held;
• ensuring cooperation and coordination with veterinary services in neighbouring
countries.
8. During the first stage of vaccination, conducted from 1 to 30 June 2003, it was possible,
working in this way, to achieve a high level of vaccination coverage and to establish with certainty the
livestock population of Paraguay.
9. The second stage of vaccination will begin over the next few days in November.  To that end,
the veterinary service has set up a training programme for all those involved in the vaccination
campaign (vaccinators, inspectors, technical coordinators) in the hope of significantly improving the
working method and of achieving adequate vaccination coverage to enable Paraguay to definitively
eradicate the disease and recover its status of "country free of foot-and-mouth disease with
vaccination" which it had obtained recently, at great sacrifice and after persistent sanitary technicalefforts by all of the national sectors involved.
10. Finally, the delegation of Paraguay participating in the meetings of this Committee appeals to
the international community to show the cooperation and understanding needed to combat the disease
effectively at the regional and international levels, and to refrain from adopting measures restricting
trade in agricultural products beyond what is strictly necessary and provided for in the health codes,
thus avoiding capricious para-tariff measures that cause prejudice to the vulnerable developing
countries.
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