G/SPS/GEN/1924  
 
24 June 2021 
(21-5132) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
 
SPS ACTIVITIES OF THE CARIBBEAN AGRICULTURAL HEALTH  
AND FOOD SAFETY AGENCY  (CAHFSA)  
REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE ON SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES  
The following communication, received on 22 June 2021, is being c irculated at the request of  
CAHFSA . 
 
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1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  The Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA) was established by the 
Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to perform a coordinating and 
organizing role in the establ ishment of an effective and efficient regional sanitary and phytosanitary 
(SPS) regime and to execute on behalf of member  States such SPS actions and activities that can 
be more effectively and efficiently executed through a regional mechanism.  
1.2.  CAHFSA is p leased to provide this report to the eight ieth regular meeting of the Committee on 
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, summarising key activities and providing updates on 
CARICOM SPS work programme.  
1.3.  As with most organizations, the COVID -19 pandemic has ad versely affected the CAHFSA work 
programme  over the past year , forcing an adjustment in the approach to execution  of activities . 
However, the Agency has managed to improvise innovative ways of progressing its work programme 
and execute its mandate.  
2  ADMINIS TRATION AND GOVERNANCE  
2.1.  CAHFSA is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer and the 
election of a new Chairman and vice -chairman of the CAHFSA Board of Directors. Dr Gavin Peters, 
a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and a citizen of Guyana assumed office on 1 April 2021. 
Mr Christopher Worrell of the Bahamas and Dr Simone Titus of Trinidad and Tobago took duties as 
Chair and Vice -Chair of the Board of Directors on 1 June 2021.  
2.2.  On 16 June 2021, CAHFSA held its first regional  symposium on the institution's mandate to 
"establish an effective regime of SPS measures" in the CARICOM Region. Key to the discussions was 
the importance of the WTO SPS agreement in facilitating the safe trade of agricultural products 
among the member States and third countries and its potential role in improving regional food 
security.  
3  COLLABORATION WITH INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE 
AREA OF AGRICULTURAL HEALTH AND FOOD SAFETY  
3.1.  CAHFSA continues its engagement with the OIE, IPPC and the  Codex Alimentarius Commission 
through meeting participation and regional coordination of activities.  
3.2.  CAHFSA was privileged to chair the meetings of the 32nd Consultation on Regional Plant 
Protection Organization. The global health crisis notwithstanding, the RPPOs met during 202 and 
early 2021 to share updates and discuss how to mitigate the pandemic's impact on their activities G/SPS/GEN/1924  
 
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  and progress the work of the TC -RPPO. As usual, the IPPC provided tremendous support to the 
planning and delivery of the meetings . 
3.3.  CAHFSA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the COLEACP to support 
CAHFSA through technical assistance programmes managed and implemented by COLEACP. 
The associated work plan includes, among others, activities aimed at strengthening the ca pacity of 
the CAHFSA member States and staff, upgrading of critical regional analytical facilities through 
training and support in laboratory organization and management and sharing of COLEACP experience 
and expertise in the context of inter -regional trade . 
3.4.  On 15 April 2021, CAHFSA collaborated with COLEACP, the COMESA Secretariat, the 
Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development of ECOWAS Commission, and EAC in organizing 
an e-meeting addressing "Establishment and update of regulated pest lists in ACP countries – main 
implications and challenges".  
3.5.  Under the 11th EDF project and the Support of IICA (the executing agency), CAHFSA will lead 
the development of a Regional Policy and Action Plan for Agricultural Health and Food Safety. 
The project seeks to de velop a regional Agricultural Health and Food Safety Policy and Action Plan 
and a National AHFS Policy Framework that will allow the Caribbean to have a more strategic and 
focused approach for addressing important AHFS regional and national issues such as meeting 
SPS requirements for regional and international market access. This intervention will ultimately 
provide the region and countries with a coherent, coordinated and focused approach to addressing 
AHFS issues.  
3.6.  Also, under the 11th EDF project, CAHFSA is collaborating with IICA to support improvements 
of the SPS regulatory framework in the CARIFORUM member States. This component of the project 
aims to upgrade select SPS legislation to meet international standards, improve coordination that 
contributes t o effective and efficient SPS control systems, and strengthen the policy framework that 
guides processes and plans for harmonization of AHFS systems across the Caribbean Region.  
4  CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMMES AND ACTIVITIES  
4.1.  CAHFSA continues to coordinate the  application of the IPPC PCE tool in three remaining 
CARICOM member States. The project, which began in 2020 under a Letter of Agreement (LOA) with 
the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Sub -Regional Office for the 
Caribbean, ha s seen one of the four project countries successfully completing the PCE process 
remotely. Like all projects being executed by CAHFSA, realization of the outputs from this project 
has been affected by the pandemic as no face -to-face interaction was possibl e. 
4.2.  CAHFSA is very excited to be piloting the first STDF P -IMA online course under an STDF project 
preparation grant. The course is training officials from SPS authorities as P -IMA Facilitators who will 
collaborate with public and private sector stakeholder s to use evidence to prioritize SPS investments 
in the region.  
4.3.  In collaboration with COLEACP, CAHFSA is currently supporting a pilot application of the 
COLEACP Rapid SPS Assessment tool in Suriname. The COLEACP Rapid SPS Assessment Tool 
(R-SAT) provides a practical, step -by-step guide for ACP countries to assess their national sanitary 
and phytosanitary (SPS) systems to strengthen them in line with international standards and 
regulations. The aim is to develop a national priority action plan to enhance SPS systems, firmly 
based on a shared strategic vision agreed upon by all stakeholders.  
5  SPS REGULATORY FRAMEWORK  
5.1.  The Legal Affairs Committee of the CARICOM has approved two draft model SPS bills. The draft 
animal health bill and the draft plant health bills, w hich were prepared under the 10th EDF project, 
were adopted as region models when the Committee met on 11 June 2021. The models are now 
available for use by the member States in developing/revising their national SPS legislations.  G/SPS/GEN/1924  
 
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  6  TRADE FACILITATION  
6.1.  CAHFSA  continues to implement the Caribbean Development Bank -funded project to support 
the development of guidelines for intra -regional trade in animal and plant products, which will 
enhance the framework for intra -regional trade in agricultural commodities amon g member 
countries . Specifically, the project involves developing regional commodity -specific sanitary and 
phytosanitary guidelines for five animal and fourteen plant products.  
 
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