WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/GEN/310
14 March 2002
(02-1346)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English/
Spanish
ACTIONS AIMED AT IMPLEMENTING THE AGREEMENT ON THE
APPLICATION OF SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES
Information presented by the Inter-American Institute
for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
1. Observer organizations are invited to present reports on activities carried out to promote
greater understanding and implementation of the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures.  IICA therefore wishes to present some initiatives already undertaken for thispurpose, or soon to be implemented.
A. A
CTIONS TO BE CARRIED OUT IN THE SHORT TERM :
International Seminar on Equivalence and Risk Analysis in Animal Health
2. An International Seminar on Equivalence and Risk Analysis in Animal Health will be held
25-26 March in Bolivia.  Taking part in the event will be officials from the health systems of Bolivia,
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Paraguay.
3. The objective of the activity is to harmonize th e concepts of equivalence and risk analysis in
animal health among the animal health authorities of the countries taking part and develop guidelines
for the preparation and interpretation of studies on equivalence and animal health risks.
Module on "The Agrifood Chain" of the Execu tive Series on Leadership in Food Safety
4. The Third Module of the Executive Series on Leadership in Food Safety entitled "The
Agrifood Chain" will be held 15-19 April.  As was the case with the previous modules, this one will
be attended by participants from 22 western-hemisphere countries and will deal with topics such as:
Food safety and the development of the agrifood chain; Virtual borders in  sanitary certification
processes for agricultural products; Leadership in overcoming competitive and unanticipatedbarriers to trade,  and; Increasing exports: Specific cases .
5. This program is possible thanks to the collaboration and financial sponsorship of numerous
organizations, including the Inter-American Inst itute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition of the
University of Maryland, DuPont-Pioneer, the Foreig n Agricultural Service of  the US Department of
Agriculture and the US Fo od and Drug Administration.
Training in HACCP in alliance with the World Bank
6. IICA, through its Virtual Distance Training Center, has developed a strategic alliance with the
World Bank’s Global Development Learning Netw ork to train 12 Latin American and Caribbean
countries in the development and implementation of HACCP plans for industry and the agrifoodG/SPS/GEN/310
Page 2
chain.  The training will be provided by mean s of New Information and Communication Technologies
(NICT).  Support will be provided by the Department of Food Science and Technology and the Food
Safety Center of Texas A&M University, the Food Safety Research Center of the University of
Guadalajara, Mexico, the International HACCP Allia nce and the Food Processors Institute of the
University of California.  This resource will be available by July of this year.
B. ACTIONS IMPLEMENTED :
Development of an agricultural health and food safety agency for the Caribbean
7. In collaboration with the FAO and the Secretariat of CARICOM, IICA is conducting a
feasibility study for the creation of regional agency in the Caribbean, to be known as the Caribbean
Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency  (CAHFSA), in response to th e mandate issued by the
ministers of agriculture of the CARICOM.
8. The overall objective of the CAHFSA is to s upport the efforts of the Caribbean countries to
set up, manage and operate their national agricultural health and food safety programs; and to
undertake those actions and activities that can be implemented more efficiently and effectively
through a regional mechanism.
9. IICA has prepared a working document and held 14 national consultations in Caribbean
countries to present and discuss the framework and obtain inputs from key public- and private-sector
stakeholders.  At the meeting of the Caribbean Plant Protection Commission (CPPC) held in Trinidad
& Tobago in November 2001, the representatives studied and unanimously endorsed the proposal to
create the CAHFSA, and plans for its advance were drawn.
Other actions in support of the Caribbean region
10. IICA assisted the Ministry of Agriculture of Trinidad and Tobago in preparing plans for
responding to emergencies related to the introduction of animal diseases, pests and exotic plant
diseases.  The draft plans were discussed with key lo cal officials and private-sector stakeholders at a
workshop held in conjunction with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the FAO.
11. A project was implemented to prevent the propagation of black sigatoka in the Caribbean
region.  Under this project, a regional workshop was held in Jamaica to train plant protection officers
from the Caribbean in techniques for diagnosing, preventing and controlling black sigatoka in
musaceae.
12. IICA is helping the Ministry of Agriculture of Antigua and Barbuda to modernize its plant
protection services.
Training events
13. At events in Venezuela and Uruguay in Nove mber 2001, IICA gave courses on risk analysis,
epidemiological surveillance and the WTO’s sanitary and phytosanitary measures and their influence
on food safety.  The two events were attended by representatives of a total of 6 western-hemisphere
countries.  Other international organizations also collaborated, such as the PAHO, the FAO, theOrganization of American States ( OAS) and the University of Uruguay.
14. At the request of the national animal health services of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay,
Paraguay and Bolivia, in November 2001 IICA organized the  International Symposium on
Traceability in Animal Health , held in Bahia, Brazil.  The participants included representatives of the
private sector and officials of the health systems of the countries concerned.G/SPS/GEN/310
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15. In November 2001, an International Course on Official Certification in Food Safety for Food
Services was held at IICA’s Virtual Distance Training Center.  Attended by representatives of Costa
Rica’s food industry, it focused on the development,  implementation and monitoring of HACCP plans
in food services.
16. In the Andean region, IICA held seminars and produced and distributed electronic
publications on emerging pests and diseases, such as BSE, the pink mealy bug, risk analysis, food
safety and integrated pest management.
Andean System of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Risk Analysis and Equivalence Studies
17. Initial steps were taken to implement the proposal prepared by an international technical
mission (IICA, FAO, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Secretariat of
Agriculture of Mexico), aimed at developing a sy stem for training professionals, conducting studies
and serving as a support data bank and knowledge management system for the Andean countries for
sanitary and phytosanitary risk analysis and equivalence studies.  Surveys were conducted  and funds
were identified for the 2002 work plan, with assistance from USAID, USDA and IICA.
Permanent projects for pest and disease control and the declaration of free zones18. A zoosanitary surveillance system established with the support of APHIS and IICA operates
along the Ecuador-Colombia, Ecuador-Peru and Venezuela-Colombia borders.  The purpose is to
exchange information and reduce the risks of epidemics.  The project included a training course in
emergency procedures for professional staff in the Ecuador-Colombia border region.
Preparing and executing national modernization projects for animal and plant health services
in the Andean countries
19. IICA has technical assistance agreements in place with the five Andean countries, to help
them modernize their animal health and plant prot ection services.  Three (Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia)
are currently implementing modernization projects financed by the Inter-American DevelopmentBank (IDB) and two (Colombia and Venezuela) are awaiting final approval from the Bank.  IICA
assisted the countries in preparing their projects and is now helping to implement them, mainly
through the training component.
20. In Ecuador and Bolivia, IICA has supported the drafting and enactment of new animal health
and plant protection legislation, which covers food safety and new autonomous structures and tariffs
for their services.  In an accreditation scheme w ith private agronomists, the Ecuador an inspection
system for banana exports (35 per cent of the world market) has been implemented by the EcuadorianAgricultural Health Service with support provided by IICA.
Transparency and information
21. Through the Andean Agricultural Health Information Network ( http://www.iicasaninet.net/ )
and the Agrosalud XXI network ( www.infoagro.net/salud ), information is provided on animal health,
plant protection and food safety, through press releases, publications and weekly bulletins.  Users are
kept abreast of the work of the "three sisters" and the WTO, and active involvement in these
organizations is encouraged.G/SPS/GEN/310
Page 4
Andean Agricultural Health Forum (FASA)
22. At the October 2001 meeting of the FASA (Forum  for Sanitary and Phytosanitary Authorities
in the Andean Region), counterpart officials from the Mercosur countries took part to discuss
interregional issues linked to the facilitation of trade, sanitary and food safety matters.  IICA acts asthe technical secretariat of this forum.
23. If you would like more information about any of these events, please contact:
ebolanos@iica.ac.cr  (Eric Bolaños) or kwalker@iica.ac.cr
 (Kevin Walker).
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
Agricultural Health and Food Safety
http://www.infoagro.net/salud
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