G/SPS/GEN/1922  
22 June 2021 
(21-5077) 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,  
FEBRUARY TO APRIL 2021 
The following communication , received on 17 June 2021, is being circulated at the request of OIRSA . 
 
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1  TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES RELATING TO 
AGRICULTURAL HEALTH AND TRADE  
1.1.  Training was provided to plant quarantine officials from the State Phytosanitary Service of 
Costa Rica on the use of the regional quarantine early warning system  hosted on OIRSA 's website . 
1.2.  Support continued to be given in the training of canine units for the inspection of cargo and 
luggage in the Dominican Republic , El Salvador and Belize . 
1.3.  In the Dominican Republic , the process for training canine units was launched . In El Salvador , 
support continued to be given in the training of the canine units of the Ministry of Agriculture and 
Livestock . 
1.4.  Support was provided to the State Phytosanitary Service of Costa Rica  in the development of 
a plan  for the eradication of the giant African snai l. 
1.5.  Guidance  was given to  Nicaragua 's Institute for Agricultural and Livestock Protection and Health 
and the State Phytosanitary Service of Costa Rica on the construction of fumigation chambers.  
1.6.  A forum on the Central American locust  was organized , during w hich presentations were given 
on matters relating to the history and current s tatus of this pest both at the global level and in the 
region specifically . OIRSA is supporting the follow -up to this research . 
1.7.  OIRSA is supporting the Government of Panama's initiative for the development of fruit 
programmes in the country.  
1.8.  OIRSA support ed the Huanglongbing (HLB) disease emergency action plan in Panam a. 
1.9.  A virtual conference  was held  on internationally recommended diagnostic tests for brucellosis, 
aimed at veterinarians from Guatemala.  
1.10.   Presentations were given on Argentina's and Mexico's experiences with the use of S-19 and 
RB51  vaccines  as a tool for controlling bovine brucellosis as part of  official programmes.  
1.11.   A virtual talk was given for members of the Governing Board  of the Chamber  and the 
authorities of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA)  on the programme for the 
progressive control of bovine brucellosis and tuberculosis and its progress in Guatemala . G/SPS/GEN/1922  
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  1.12.   At the request of the compet ent authority from Honduras, a virtual talk was organized , in 
coordination with specialists from the Mexican National Agri -Food Health, Safety and Quality Service 
(SENASICA ), on the prevention and control of bovine paralytic rabies, aimed at producers in t he 
affected areas . 
1.13.   A virtual seminar was held on the diagnosis of diseases based on evidence in pig farming, in 
which private veterinarians and officials from OIRSA mem ber countries participated . 
1.14.   A virtual workshop on traceability in the pig sector and the  use of the guide on the control of 
movement  was delivered to  veterinarians and pig farmers . 
1.15.   The virtual course  on Good Emergency Management Practice (GEMP) for animal health, 
developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ( FAO), was launched as 
part of the strategy for the building  of emergency response capacit y, which has been drawn up 
together with FAO, the Inter -American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture ( IICA), the Animal 
and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Uni ted States Department of Agriculture (USDA -APHIS ), 
the Panama  – United States Commission for the Eradication and Prevention of Screwworm (COPEG ) 
and OIRSA.  
1.16.   OIRSA participat ed in the 88th General Session  of the World Organisation for Animal Health 
(OIE) . 
1.17.   Training on audits under ISO Standard 19011:2018 was provided to food safety officials and 
technical staff from countries in the OIRSA region  (Belize, Costa  Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, 
Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panam a and the Dominican Republic ). 
1.18.   A workshop was delivered on the protocol on sampling aflatoxins in maize in the OIRSA region, 
which was aimed at officials from this region and based mainly on statistical sampling techniques . 
1.19.   OIRSA participated in the 8th Latin American Pesticide Residue Workshop ( LAPRW  ONLINE ), 
during which presentations were given on  matters relating to , inter alia , rejections of food due to 
pesticide residues and aflatoxin sampling protocols . 
1.20.   OIRSA participated in the dialogue on the "One Health " approach  and internatio nal trade. 
1.21.   OIRSA participated in the  XLIII For um on applying climate forecasts  to food and nutrition 
security, making  recommendations on the safety of foods of plant and animal origin . 
1.22.   Thirty safety officials from the OIRSA region were accredited in HACCP (Hazard Analysis 
Critical Control Point) and its pre -requisite programmes by the International HACCP  Alliance . 
1.23.   A virtual course on good livestock practices, good manufacturing practices and HACCP  was 
delivered in OIRSA's virtual classroom . 
1.24.   The second  virtual training course on pest risk analysis in the area of plant health  was 
delivered  in OIRSA 's virtual classroom.  
1.25.   Officials from the Ministry of Agricultural Development of Panama were trained on the use of 
the Trazar -Agro traceability system . 
1.26.   The following traceability applications  were published : "Trazar -Agro" for registering 
individuals and establishments engaged i n agriculture, aquaculture and fishing ; and "Trazar -Agro 
Movilización" for controlling the movement of animals and aquaculture products . 
1.27.   The first phase of the electronic registration management system was developed  for the 
systemization of the animal health, plant health and food safety services  of the Honduran National 
Agriculture and Food Health and Safety Service (SENASA ). 
1.28.   The monitoring system and the Trazar -Agro system were interconnected in order to link 
establishments with the results of the  monitor ing and bovine sanitary control programmes . G/SPS/GEN/1922  
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  1.29.   The Trazar -Agro bovine traceability module was implemented in Nicaragua for the 
management of the information relating to traceability and the control of animal movement . 
2  SUPPORT FOR THE HARMONIZATION AND EQUIVALENCE PROCESS  
2.1.  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 , using as a  
base the Central American Custom s Union's Technical Regulation on veterinary drugs and related 
products . 
2.2.  OIRSA took part in a meeting of the National Codex Alimentarius Committee  (CONACODEX ) of 
El Salvador in order to assess the situation of the country in two important areas : (1) the revision 
of the general guidelines on sampling ; and (2) the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods, 
maximum levels for total aflatoxins in certain cereals and cereal -based products . 
2.3.  OIRSA participated in meetings convened by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 
relating to the  RLA 5080 project on the development of a reference framework for the regional 
network for the sharing of data relating to food safety . 
2.4.  Salvadoran Technical Regulation (RTS) No. 65.05.02:19 on the registration and identification 
system for livestock and aquaculture traceability  entered into force following its publication in the 
Official Journal and is the bas ic regulatory framework for ensuring livestock and aquacultur e 
traceability . 
3  PREVENTION, CO NTROL AND ERADICATION ACTIVITIES (PROGRAMMES OR 
CAMPAIGNS)  
3.1.  The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food ( MAGA ) and OIRSA are coordinating actions  for 
the control of locusts in Petén, Guatemala . The capacities of the official and private sector s to 
diagn ose, monitor and deal with  infestations of  the Central American locust are being developed . 
3.2.  Produc ers affected by storms  Eta and Iota are receiving support from  the Ministry of Agriculture 
and Livestock  (SAG) and OIRSA, as part of which  producers of auberg ines and other oriental 
vegetables were provided with insecticides, training and targeted  technical assistance with their 
crops after floods . 
3.3.  The project for the biological control of pests of economic concern  in Belize was launched . 
3.4.  OIRSA is supporting the State Phytosanitary Service  of Costa Rica following the  detection  of 
the giant African snail ( Achatina fulica ), sending a technical mission to strengthen the plan for the 
containment  and eradication of this pest in the country . 
3.5.  At the req uest of the competent authority from El Salvador, OIRSA managed  the purchase and 
transfer of vials of Rose Bengal  for the diagnosis of bovine brucellosis . 
3.6.  A sanitation plan was developed for farms affected by bovine brucel losis in Guatemala,  so that 
the he rds may be sanitized and certified as being free from the disease.  
3.7.   A timeline for dealing with the health emergency caused by an outbreak of bovine paralytic 
rabies in Honduras  was drawn up . 
3.8.  The OIRSA Ad Hoc Group on Aquaculture Health  was revived , with a  view to boosting  health 
activities in favour of the  region's aquaculture and fisheries sector . 
3.9.  Traps were purchased for the control of Aethina tumida  in Guatemala.  
3.10.   A manual of emergency procedures for transboundary diseases in marine shrimp was 
developed as an annex to the r egional manual of best practices for dealing with health emergencies . G/SPS/GEN/1922  
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  3.11.   A project for the development of computerized monitoring and laboratory plat forms is being  
implemented to support the sanitary programmes of Panama and  Guatemala.  
4  STRENGTHENING OF NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN ORDER TO FACILITATE TRADE  
4.1.  OIRSA coordinated the technical working group for the updating of Guatemala's classical swine 
fever (CSF) dossier , which is expected to be resubmitted to the OIE in 2021. Belize, Honduras and 
El Salvador have begun to compile their CSF dossiers, receiving guidance from an expert recruited  
by OIRSA, with the goal being  to submit  the document s to the  OIE in September  2022.  
4.2.  Support was provided in the process of exporting live cattle from Guatemala and Nicaragua to 
Mexico by land transport . 
4.3.  The Directorate -General of Plant Health of  El Salvador  was supported in updating and improving 
its national plan for monitoring pesticide residues in agricultural products . 
4.4.  OIRSA coordinated bipartite collaboration  between the Honduran National Residues Laboratory 
(LANAR) and the Central Veterinary Laboratory  of the Dominican Republic (LAVECEN) in order to 
improve  the Dominican Republic's analytical capacit ies. To support LAVECEN and the 
Dominican  Republic's Department of Agri -Food Safety , a matrix relating to the pest icides that have 
been detected by the Euro pean Union was developed to assess the viability of incorporating pesticide 
analysis matrices . 
4.5.  At the request of the OIRSA representative in  Guatemala , OIRSA participated in a meeting on 
the Codex Trust Fund, which is a bipartite project between Guatemala and El Salvador.  
4.6.  Ongoing support is being given to the implementation of the plan for the c ontrol  of the 
movement of animals and a quaculture  and fisheries products in the  N1 intervention zone in  
Honduras.  
4.7.  OIRSA  has actively participated as an observer in the meetings of the Honduran National 
Council on Traceability ( CONART ), the aim of which is to achieve consensus in the productive sectors 
regarding traceability, market access and aquaculture and livestock move ment.  
5  STRATEGIC ALLIANCES FOR THE PROMOTION OF HEALTH AND TRADE  
5.1.  OIRSA participated in the 12th quarantine regulators meeting  (QRM 2021), which is a forum 
promoted by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.  
5.2.  OIRSA  took part in a session  of the International Cargo Cooperative Biosecurity Arrangement  
(ICCBA ) in order to discuss  the matter of remote auditing techniques in a changing environment, 
which is an initiative  from New Zealand . 
5.3.  OIRSA held a working meeting wit h Chinese Taipei's International Cooperation and 
Development Fund in  Guatemala , during  which joint work was planned in the area of plant health 
and, specifically, in relation to pests such as HLB in citrus fruit and Foc TR4 in musaceae . 
5.4.  OIRSA signed a lett er of understanding with the Universi ty of Glasgow  in Scotland, which will 
support the implementation of the regional project "Molecular characterization of the rabies virus in 
animal outbreaks in OIRSA member countries ". 
5.5.  OIRSA visited the campus of the  Panama  – United States Commission for the Eradication and 
Prevention of Screwworm (COPEG) , with the aim of discussing new opportunities to ex pand the  
collaboration between both institutions in the areas of training and emergency response activities . 
5.6.  An inter -agency strategy for the preparation and management of emergency responses for 
Latin America and the Caribbean was outlined  in conjunction with FAO, IICA, USDA -APHIS, COPEG 
and OIRSA.  G/SPS/GEN/1922  
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  5.7.  The following agenda of activities of common interest was drawn up between OIRSA and the  
OIE: (1) The Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases 
(GF-TADs) standing group of experts on African swine fever ; (2) Course on th e transpor t of biological 
materials – International Air Transport Association ( IATA); (3) Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR); 
(4) African swine fever (ASF); (5) Public -Private Partnerships (PPPs); and (6) OIE p articipa tion in 
OIRSA  meetings . 
5.8.  Three follow -up an d activity planning meetings were organized as part of the  technical 
cooperation agreement between OIRSA and the Guatemalan Chamber of Milk Producers to promote 
traceability and the programme for the progressive control of bovine brucellosis and tuberculos is. 
5.9.  Two meetings were held to follow up on the activities of the  official inspection programme for 
factories that process foods of animal origin , as part of the agreement between the 
Guatemalan  Ministry of Public Health and OIRSA.  
5.10.   An addendum to the agreement on technical cooperation with the National Agriculture and 
Food Health and Safety Service ( SENASA ) of Honduras  was drawn up  to develop an electronic 
registration management system for agricultural establishments, drugs, pestici des and other 
products for agricultural use, as part of the Trazar -Agro system . The aim of this is to strengthen 
information processes for the timely registration of establishments and products with standardized , 
clear and automated criteria . 
5.11.   The agreement  on technical and financial cooperation to ensure the continued development 
and implementation of the computerized agri -food traceability and safety module (Trazar -Agro – 
Inocuidad Agroalimentaria)  was signed between the Honduran Ministry of Agriculture an d Livestock 
(SAG),  SENASA and OIRSA.  
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