G/SPS/GEN/1756  
26 February  2020 
(20-1463) Page: 1/5 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original:  Spanish  
 
  
ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKE N BY THE INTERNATION AL REGIONAL ORGANIZA TION  
FOR PLANT AND ANIMAL  HEALTH (OIRSA) RELA TING TO THE  
WTO AGREEMENT ON THE  APPLICATION OF SANI TARY  
AND PHYTOSANITARY ME ASURES  
REPORT TO THE COMMIT TEE ON SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASUR ES 
OCTOBER  2019-JANUARY  2020 
The following communication, received on 2 5 February  2020, is being circulated at the request of 
OIRSA . 
 
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1  TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DISSE MINATION ACTIVITIES RELATING TO 
AGRICULTURAL  HEALTH AND TRADE  
1.1.  In conjunction with FAO, a n online course on Foc TR4 took place as part of a training strategy 
to prevent outbreaks of the Tropical race 4 strain of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum  f. sp. cubense  
in plantain and banana plantations . Two thousand four  hundred people from 28 countries in Asia, 
Europe and the Americas, and representing the entire banana production chain, participated in this 
course.  
1.2.  An online course on coffee production technology and plant health  was organized in conjunction 
with the Guatemalan National Coffee Association (Anacafé) for 1,600 people from the Americas and 
Europe.  
1.3.  Support was provided for the 2nd National Simulation for a Potential Foc TR4 Outbreak in 
Ecuador . One hundred  and thirty people,  including producers, exporters, academics, research centre 
staff, people in governance and technical experts from international organizations , participated in 
this exercise . 
1.4.  In conjunction with Chinese Taipei's International Cooperation and Development Fu nd and 
the Honduran Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG), the 2nd International Citrus Forum was 
held in Honduras . The event  was attended by more than 300 people, including citrus producers, 
nursery gardeners, exporters and other members of the regi on's citrus fruit production chain, who 
shared information on citrus greening disease (HLB) and other topics.  
1.5.  In Belize, a simulation exercise was organized to prepare for possible outbreak s of Foc  TR4. 
The event served to assess responsiveness to a possib le outbreak of Fusarium Tropical Race  4 in 
bananas.  
1.6.  In the Dominican Republic, a simulation exercise was organized to assess responsiveness to a 
possible outbreak of Foc  TR4 in plantain and banana plantations.  
1.7.  A regional workshop for the diagnosis and inte gral management of cucurbit  viruses  was 
organized in conjunction with the Panamanian Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA)  to 
strengthen the diagno stic capacities of official laboratories in countries in the OIRSA region.  G/SPS/GEN/1756  
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  1.8.  In Guatemala and Nicaragua, plant health officials from national risk analysis and 
epidemiological surveillance  units received training on methodologies for conducting agricultural 
quarantine pest risk analysis and for assessing  pathways in international trade . 
1.9.  In the Dominican Republic, the first workshop on the use of European Union information 
management systems for official sanitary and phytosanitary checks under the "Better Training for 
Safer Food" initiative was attended by 43 officials working in the areas  of food safety, animal health, 
plant health and the private sector.  
1.10.   Officials  from Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala (including 
from Guatemala's academic sector) attended the OIRSA -University of San Carlos of Guatemala 
(USAC) f ood safety risk analysis course . In total, 43 people completed the course.  
1.11.   At the Pre -Honey Harvest Training Day 2019 -20 held in El Salvador, OIRSA gave a keynote 
address on areas such as food safety  and the latest European Union (EU) rules and regulations.  
1.12.   In Honduras, OIRSA and the Subdirectorate -General of Agri-Food Safety, which  is part of the 
National Agricultural Health Service (SENASA), organized a day -long event  to review instruments 
for inspecting aquaculture products  at the national level.  
1.13.   Also in Honduras, the technical team at the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Products 
of the Subdirectorate -General of Agri-Food Safety at SENASA received a knowledge update on 
relevant EU legislation.  
1.14.   In Guatemala, OIRSA gave a keynote address on the i ntrinsic link between food safety and 
food security at the Agricultural Health and Food Security Forum.  
1.15.   In the Dominican Republic, OIRSA took part in the 4th National Beekeeping Meeting  (2019), 
where it delivered a keynote address on the requirements for h oney exports to the EU.  
1.16.   In Guatemala, 52 official delegates from Mexico, Central America, the Dominican  Republic, 
Ecuador and Brazil took part in an international workshop , held at the University of San  Carlos 
(USAC), that involved a regional simulation of  the African swine fever virus . 
1.17.   In El Salvador, 14 official veterinary surgeons attended a workshop on fieldwork related to 
the use of tuberculins  for bovine animals . The workshop took place in the context of the adoption of 
a new regional strategy for the  progressive control of  bovine tuberc ulosis. 
1.18.   In Honduras, three knowledge update workshops were organized for bovine traceability 
operators:  
• Tocoa, Colón : 5 November  2019, attended by 18 technical experts . 
• San Pedro Sula, Cortés : 6 November  2019, attended by 11 technical experts . 
• Comayagua : 7 November  2019, attended by 27 technical experts . 
1.19.   Training sessions were organized  for two laboratory technicians from Guatemala and one from 
El Salvador at the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)  reference laboratory  in Argentina . 
The sessions focused on  improv ing the brucellosis diagnos tic capacities of the central animal health 
laboratories of the two countries' agriculture ministries, reinforc ing good practices in respect of the 
quality control  of diagnostic kits and reagents for brucellosis , standardiz ing and validat ing official 
tests for brucellosis, and implement ing the new complement fixation test to confirm brucellosis 
diagnoses.  
1.20.   Support was provided for the Pre -Honey Harvest Training Day 2 019-20 held at  the 
Salvadoran  Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), which was attended by 100 producers and 
specialists in the sector.  
1.21.   OIRSA helped organize and participated in a  training day on improving the monitoring , control 
and detection  of Tilapia lake virus  (TiLV)  through  public -private partnerships . The event took place 
in Mexico  City within the framework of  FAO-OIRSA technical cooperation.  G/SPS/GEN/1756  
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  1.22.   A regional manual of best practices for dealing with health emergencies and several videos 
on how to put on and remove personal protective equipment (PPE) were added to the Biblioteca 
OIRSA  mobile application.  
1.23.   OIRSA took part in  the second high -level meeting of fisheries and aquaculture ministe rs 
organized by the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and the Central American 
Fisheries and Aquaculture Organization  (OSPESCA) . At this event, the Harmonized Regional System 
for Agricultural Traceability (Trazar -Agro) was presented to the fisheries authorities of OIRSA and 
CARICOM member countries . 
1.24.   Technical support was provided for training the new animal traceability coordinator of 
the Salvadoran Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.  
1.25.   Technical support was also provided for migrating the data bases of the bovine, aquaculture 
and fisheries sector in Nicaragua, the aquaculture and fisheries sector in Panama , and agricultural 
produc ers in the Dominican Republic , to the Trazar -Agro database.  
1.26.   In December  2019, a re orientation  strategy was drawn up f or Panama's national livestock 
traceability programme , and support was provided for implementing other traceability systems, such 
as those  for the swine, aquaculture and fisheries sectors.  
1.27.   Training was provided to 35 people in Honduras whose main activity is fishing sea cucumbers . 
The training covered the traceability system for fisheries products and the use of traceability labels 
in relation to operating licences.  
1.28.   Also in Honduras, technical support is being provided for training activities and to ensure 
follow -up for a plan for controlling the movement of animals and products  and by -products  of 
agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries.  
1.29.   In Guatemala, staff at the Service for Agricultural Protection and the International Quarantine 
Treatment Service received training on methyl bromide fumigation based on the Australian 
fumigation standard . 
2  SUPPORT FOR THE HARM ONIZATION AND EQUIVA LENCE PROCESS  
2.1.  OIRSA member countries, and Ecuador and Colombia , received support for creating regulatory 
instruments to contain the arrival of Foc TR4, which causes Fusarium wilt.  
2.2.  OIRSA's basic manual on risk -based inspection was developed while taking into consideration 
the following : 1. International organizations involved in food safety and food quality ; 2. T he use of 
risk analysis in food safety and risk -based inspection ; 3. T he establishment of epidemiological 
surveillance programmes and the design of statistical sampling ; and 4. Risk-based inspection for 
animals, plants and food.  
2.3.  OIRSA developed a sampling protocol for monitoring heavy metals, which drew on 
Codex  Alimentarius standards and guidelines and other regulations of importance for international 
trade.  
2.4.  With regard to requirement s concerning maximum levels of cadmium in food products, 
including items containing cocoa, a  monitoring exercise was conducted in conjunction with 
OIRSA  Member States to determine the levels of cadmium present in cocoa beans . The participating 
countries we re Belize, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Nicaragua.  
2.5.  Support was provided for the drafting of biannual operational plans for the various animal 
health programmes run by the Guatemalan Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food.  
2.6.  Five me etings of the National Technical Commission for the Guatemalan swine sector were held 
to put together a dossier on classical swine fever  and to prepare an application for OIE recognition 
as a country free from the disease . G/SPS/GEN/1756  
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  2.7.  Support and follow -up were provided for the final stage  of the regional plan for the prevention, 
control, eradication and increased  surveillance of low pathogenic avian influenza H5N2.  
2.8.  OIRSA joined forces with FEDAVICAC  to organize  a meeting of the Regional Technical 
Committee on Poultry Health (CTRSA) , which  was attended by veterinary service and private sector 
officials from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, Guatemala and 
the Dominican Republic.  
2.9.  OIRSA organized and participated in t he first meeting of beekeepers in the city of Siguatepeque 
in the Honduran department of Comayagua . The purpose of the meeting was to support Honduras 
in the initiative to open up the honey market in the countries of the region.  
2.10.   OIRSA reviewed p rocedures for capturing info rmation in the laboratory and in the field for the 
Guatemalan programme  for the progressive control of bovine brucellosis and  tuberculosis . It also 
approved the functioning of the Bovine Sanitary Module  (MSB) , which incorporates laboratory and 
field forms into the Trazar -Agro platform.  
2.11.   A workshop to discuss and approve the Regional Harmonized Traceability System for Fisheries 
Products took place in El Salvador and was attended by officials and fisheries sector representatives 
from OIRSA member countries.  
3  PREVENTION, CONTROL AN D ERADICATION ACTIVI TIES (PROGRAMMES OR 
CAMPAIGNS)  
3.1.  In Guatemala, a  joint event was organized with FAO to discuss Foc TR4 in Musacea e crops . The 
purpose of the discussion was to raise awareness among government authorities and representatives 
of small -scale banana and plantain producers of the domestic risk level, existing vulnerabilities and 
the need to provide support to increase the domestic response capacity . 
3.2.  In Panama, OIRSA supports coffee producers in Chiriquí province by providing technical 
guidance  on the integrated management of coffee leaf rust over a 1,000 hectare area of cultivated 
land that produces 20,000 quintals of coffee beans a year. 
3.3.  OIRSA took part in an international workshop on strategies to tackle Foc TR4, which was 
attended by officials  from several countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Paraguay . 
The event highlighted the need for coordinated regional act ion. 
3.4.  In Colombia, OIRSA participated in a  workshop on the research agenda for Foc TR4 . The event 
sought to identify priorities in an integrated research agenda with the aim of excluding, preventing 
and managing Foc TR4 outbreaks in Latin America.  
3.5.  In Guatem ala, OIRSA and the deputy minister responsible for the affairs of the department of 
Petén jointly organized a day -long event  for coordinating actions to strengthen safety measures and 
prevent microbi ological  contamination on papaya plantations.  
3.6.  OIRSA suppo rted the Salvadoran Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) in its review of 
the programme for monitoring residues and contaminants in compliance with the requirements of 
trading partners.  
3.7.  Under  the agreement between OIRSA and the Guatemalan Ministry o f Agriculture, Livestock 
and Food  (MAGA) , technical, administrative and financial cooperation was provided to help 
implement  the official programme for the progressive control of  bovine brucellosis and tuberculosis.  
3.8.  The Honduran National Agricultural Healt h Service (SENASA) received support in the form of 
biological agents to control equine encephalitis , through cooperation from the Mexican National 
Agricultural Health Service (SENASICA) laboratory.  
3.9.  A presentation of the Trazar -Agro platform to the Regional Technical Committee on Poultry 
Health (CTRSA) highlighted the platform's importance as a tool to su pport poultry health  
programmes . G/SPS/GEN/1756  
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  4  STRENGTHENING OF NAT IONAL INSTITUTIONS I N ORDER TO FACILITAT E TRADE  
4.1.  OIRSA's regional list of quarantine pests was updated so that Member States could be advised 
on which pests should be monitored to contain their entry into  certain countries in the region.  
4.2.  In Mexico, OIRSA has held regular virtual meetings with SENASICA to share experiences and 
to encourage joint action  on measures to control the movement and entry of livestock through the 
southern border.  
4.3.  In El Salvador, OIRSA participates actively  in the Salvadoran National Technical Regulation 
Committee 's work  to create a national livestock and aquaculture traceability system, which will 
constitute the regulatory framework for traceability in El Salvador.  
4.4.  The Institute for Agricultural Protection and Health (IPSA), the Nicaraguan Fishing and 
Aquaculture Institute (INPESCA) , the Central American Fisheries and Aquaculture Organization  
(OSPESCA) and OIRSA held an interinstitutional meeting at which the traceabili ty system was 
presented . It was also decided which activities would initially be carried out to ensure the traceability 
of fisheries and aquaculture products.  
4.5.  Panama received OIRSA support for drawing up a proposal to reorient its national livestock 
traceability programme . The proposal includes an operational structure, an implementation plan and 
a legislative bill.  
5   STRATEGIC ALLIANCES  FOR THE PROMOTION O F HEALTH AND TRADE  
5.1.  In Colombia, OIRSA participated in a  technical capacity -building mission to mea sure the 
emergency currently faced by the country and to shape and identify priorities in order to continue 
moving forward with the national strategy for Foc TR4, which will guide the national action plans of 
other countries in the region.  
5.2.  OIRSA took part in the 43rd annual meeting of the North American Plant Protection Organization 
(NAPPO) , at which  both regional plant protection organizations cooperated  to promote and 
implement relevant regional and international plant health regulations.  
5.3.  OIRSA signed a  letter of agreement with the Andean Community (CAN)  that provides for  
harmonized sanitary and phytosanitary measures against pests and diseases  in both regions , 
thereby facilitating  technical cooperation on animal and plant health and promot ing the developm ent 
of joint cooperation projects.  
5.4.  Initial contact was made with the United States Food and Drug Administration, the  
Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and the Inter -American Institute for Cooperation 
on Agriculture to deliver a training -for-trainers course on preventing the contamination of fresh food.  
5.5.  Contact was initiated with the Inter -American Network of Food Analysis Laboratories with a 
view to support ing the approval and certification of  food safety testing methods in OIRSA Member 
States.  
5.6.  A simulation workshop for food safety emergencies was scheduled with the International Food 
Safety Authorities Network.  
5.7.  The Regional Project for the Accreditation of Laboratory Diagnostic Tests for Anima l Diseases 
(STDF/PG/495) was finalized and its scope extended following the incorporation of new diagnos tic 
techniques.  
5.8.  OIRSA oversaw a  technical cooperation project  with FAO on African swine fever  with a view to 
devising a regional strategy to prevent the  introduction of this disease.  
5.9.  A technical cooperation agreement was concluded between OIRSA and the Guatemalan Ministry 
of Public Health and Social Welfare to facilitate the implementation of an official system for inspecting 
factories that process foods of animal origin, which is an export requirement in Central America.  
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