G/SPS/GEN/2061   
17 October 2022  
(22-7796) Page: 1/4 
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,  
JUNE TO SEPTEMBER  2022 
The following communication, received on 15 October 2022, is being circulated at the request of 
OIRSA . 
 
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1  TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES RELATING 
TO AGRICULTURAL HE ALTH AND TRADE  
1.1.  In coordination with various international cooperation agencies, private companies and 
ministries of agriculture, the International Regional Organization for Plant and Animal Health 
(OIRSA) launched campaigns and training workshops to raise awareness of the symptoms of 
Fusarium oxysporum  f. sp. cubense  tropical race 4 (Foc TR4) and the differences between this and 
other banana plant diseases , and provided i nformation on the application of biosecurity and 
prevention measures that would  help pr event  the disease from entering the OIRSA region.  
1.2.  OIRSA, in conjunction with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), prepared and 
launched a basic guide to the world's main fruit fly species.  
1.3.  Online training days on plant and animal health risk mana gement were organized in conjunction 
with the Food and Agriculture Organization of  the United  Nations (FAO) and the Executive 
Secretariat of the Central  American Agricultural Council (SE -CAC).  
1.4.  Following  the declaration of a regional African swine fever (ASF) emergency, OIRSA provided 
training in the following areas: cleaning and disinfection to promote  animal health; the biosecure 
disposal of carcasses; and epidemiological surveillance for the prevention  and control of ASF. 
Training was also provided to improve quarantine control points. In Honduras, as part of the national 
ASF simulation exercise , OIRSA provided an update on the ASF situation in the Dominican Republic. 
OIRSA attended the 5th meeting of the Standing Group of Experts on ASF for the Americas, and 
participated in a round -table discussion with regional and sub -regional organizations, whi ch 
addressed priority actions under the regional ASF strategy and key challenges , and provided an 
overview of the region's ASF status.  
1.5.  The measures taken in response to  the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 alert 
were presented at the 2nd annua l meeting of the Regional Technical Committee on Poultry Health 
(CTRSA) and the 27th Latin American Poultry Farming Congress (OVUM). A verification proposal and 
a biosecurity guide for hatcheries and breeding establishments were reviewed. In this context, 
OIRSA participated in the HPAI desk -based simulation exercise conducted in Honduras.  
1.6.  OIRSA supported the antimicrobial resistance surveillance network in Guatemala by organizing 
and conducting a regional online workshop entitled "The  importance of diagnosi s when making  
decision s regarding antimicrobial treatment ". G/SPS/GEN/2061  
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  1.7.  OIRSA attended  the 49th regular meeting of the South American Commission for the Fight 
Against Foot and Mouth Disease (COSALFA). At this meeting, it presented a short report on regional 
activities  supporting the Hemispheric Program for the Eradication of Foot -and-Mouth Disease 
(PHEFA).  
1.8.  The following courses were prepared and delivered: training for safety auditors on plant 
production systems; course on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point  (HACCP) system for 
honey collection and packaging plants; and courses on animal welfare and microbiology in 
meat-product processing.  
1.9.  The risk -based Harmonized Regional Guide to Good Agricultural Practices was drawn up  in both 
English and Spanish.  
1.10.  OIRSA to ok part in an event entitled "Food Safety and the Codex Alimentarius ; Impact on 
National  Productivity and Public Health", which was organized by the National Codex Committees of 
El Salvador and Guatemala.  
1.11.  OIRSA supported the national authorities and the OIRSA representative office in Guatemala  
by holding  a virtual conference on poultry traceability for the Guatemalan Poultry Farmers 
Association and Poultry Specialists Guild.  
1.12.  Online training on developments concerning traceability mechanisms was made availab le to 
officials from the meat certification office and technical team that form part of  the OIRSA traceability 
service in Nicaragua.  
2  SUPPORT FOR THE HARMONIZATION AND EQUIVALENCE PROCESS  
2.1.  OIRSA's Regional Technical Group for the revision of International St andards for Phytosanitary 
Measures held a meeting with a view to reaching regional consensus within the framework of the 
International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).  
2.2.  Support was provided to the Ministry of Health of Panama to ensure equivalence with U S Food 
Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) standards for beef exports.  
3  PREVENTION, CONTROL AND ERADICATION ACTIVITIES (PROGRAMMES OR 
CAMPAIGNS)  
3.1.  In Mexico, m easures were taken to control locusts using the biological fungus Metarhizium 
anisopliae  in maize crops . Other measures taken include sampling for pests and disease.  
3.2.  In order to strengthen phytosanitary surveillance activities in Honduras, laboratory kits have 
been provided to help diagnose viruses in cucurbit crops.  
3.3.  Support was provided to validate me thods for diagnosing ASF and classical swine fever (CSF) 
at the Central Veterinary Laboratory (LAVECEN) of the Dominican Republic, with a view to ensuring 
the accreditation of both tests.  
3.4.  A meeting was held with the Livestock Farmers Association of Hondura s to present a proposal 
for the creation of a brucellosis - and tuberculosis -free zone in the country.  
3.5.  OIRSA presented the results of a  monitoring  exercise for inorganic arsenic in polished rice to 
the Costa Rican, Salvadoran, Honduran and Panamanian author ities responsible for safe food 
production.  
3.6.  Sampling began with a view to establishing aflatoxin (B1, B2, G1, G2) levels in imported and 
domestically produced maize kernels in the OIRSA region.  
3.7.  Fourteen  newly trained canine -human teams were brought in  to strengthen n on-intrusive 
quarantine surveillance in the countries of the region. Dog trainers were also trained for Nicaragua 
and Honduras, thus building  local capacity to continue training and retraining dogs.  G/SPS/GEN/2061  
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  3.8.  In order to strengthen surveillance systems in  Panama, the Trazar -Agro agricultural, 
aquaculture and fishery registration system was integrated into the country's  phytosanitary 
surveillance platform.  
3.9.  The databases of the Trazar -Agro application 's bovine health module were updated by adding 
vaccination s for bovine paralytic rabies and vaccination certificates for three diseases: bovine 
brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis and bovine paralytic rabies.  
3.10.  The Dominican Republic's movement control system was analysed with a view to combatting 
ASF and other diseas es affecting the country's livestock.  
4  STRENGTHENING NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO FACILITATE TRADE  
4.1.  OIRSA provided support to facilitate the export of live cattle from Belize to Mexico  by helping 
to select personnel and by providing training on the quarantining and inspection of livestock prior to 
shipment.  
4.2.  In order to build institutional capacity to diagnose  disease and detect  pests and contaminating 
residues, steps were taken to improve laboratories . Actions included: t he purchasing  of real -time 
PCR equipment  for the Honduran Institute for Medico -Veterinary Research (IHMV) , so as  to 
strengthen the accreditation processes for diagnostic tests for terrestrial and aquaculture diseases; 
support for LAVECEN in obtaining accreditation for the pesticide residue analysi s method under ISO 
17025; and support for Costa Rica's National Animal Health Service (SENASA) in maintaining 
laboratory test accreditation for exporting farmed shrimp for human consumption to the European 
Union.  
4.3.  Support was provided to prepare  a draft Government Decision on the creation of a national 
traceability system for livestock, aquaculture and apiculture products in Guatemala.  
4.4.  OIRSA reviewed the regulatory framework of the Honduran national traceability system and 
studied the possibility  of incorporating the Agricultural Code and the bovine traceability instrument 
into that framework.  
4.5.  OIRSA worked with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of El Salvador to create a roadmap 
and strategies for agricultural traceability in the country in 2022.  
5  STRATEGIC ALLIANCES TO PROMOTE HEALTH AND TRADE  
5.1.  OIRSA attended the 34th Technical Consultation among Regional Plant Protection Organizations 
(RPPOs), in London, England. At this meeting, OIRSA reported on regional plant health -related 
challenges and developments. Proposals for cooperation were also presented with a view to 
enhancing phytosanitary surveillance in the OIRSA region. The proposed projects included risk maps 
with climatic and genetic variables, satellite monitoring, video survei llance, and monitoring and 
surveillance using mobile platforms and applications.  
5.2.  OIRSA took part in the 2022 IPPC Regional Workshop for Latin America. Topics of discussion 
at this event included draft fruit -fly standards, pest -free areas, plant health inno vations for food 
security, the strengthening of pest outbreak alert response systems and e -commerce.  
5.3.  Agreement ATN/OC -19057 -RG, RG -T3990 VigiMusa, was signed with the Inter -American 
Development Bank (IADB) to implement the project for a Latin American and Caribbean 
phytosanitary surveillance platform for musaceae.  
5.4.  A cooperation agreement was signed between OIRSA, citrus fruit producers and the National 
Agriculture and Food Health and Safety Service (SENASA) of Honduras, on the phytosanitary 
management of ci trus crops  in Sonaguera, Colón.  
5.5.  In order to help the ministries and secretariats of agriculture of OIRSA member countries to 
reliably diagnose pathologies affecting citrus crops, steps were taken to conduct inter -laboratory 
tests with the support of the Ib ero-American Programme on Science and Technology for 
Development (CYTED) and the Valencia Institute for Agricultural Research (IVIA) in Spain.  G/SPS/GEN/2061  
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  5.6.  FAO and OIRSA signed and began implementing a letter of agreement on animal health 
emergency preparedness and man agement systems , and complaint management and notification 
systems, with a view to improving the early detection of animal diseases, with special emphasis on 
ASF in the Dominican Republic. Revisions have been made to the draft protocol, drawn up by FAO, 
on movement -control posts for animals and products of animal origin.  
5.7.  OIRSA and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) signed and began implementing a letter of agreement to support 
the con trol and eradication of ASF in the Dominican Republic. The letter of agreement contains 
specific action plans for active surveillance in the field, the strengthening of quarantine areas, and 
the strengthening of the LAVECEN  diagnosis area . 
5.8.  In coordination with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), support was provided 
to OIRSA member countries to help them acquire  inter-laboratory tests for ASF and CSF, in order to 
ensure the accreditation of diagnostic tests as a preventive measure to address th e health 
emergency in the Dominican Republic.  
5.9.  In coordination with PROGRESAN -SICA, Level I certification was obtained for the classification 
of food and nutritional insecurity in phases.  
5.10.  In coordination with the Regional Cooperative Programme for the Techn ological Development 
and Modernization of Regional Coffee Growing (PROMECAFE), OIRSA is providing its support as an 
expert in the 2022 Innovative Coffee Production Diploma Course, through the module on good 
agricultural practices for pesticide  use. 
 
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