WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/GEN/1178 
20 July 2012 
 (12-3891) 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original: Spanish 
  
 
INFORMATION ON THE RECOGNITION OF 
FRUIT FLY-FREE AREAS 
 
Communication from Argentina 
 
 
 The following communication, received on 10 July 2012, is being circulated at the request of 
the delegation of Argentina. 
 
_______________ 
 
 
I. INTRODUCTION 
1. The Fruit Fly Eradication Programme (PROCE M) became operational in the province of 
Mendoza in 1992.  It comprises the following: 
 A highly sensitive permanent network, consisti ng of 4,600 traps, for the detection of 
Ceratitis capitata , Anastrepha fraterculus  and other exotic fruit flies not present 
in Argentina; 
 a quarantine protection system consisting of land and air checkpoints located at 
points of entry into the province, the purpose of which is to prevent the entry of infested fruit; 
 control activities based on the use of the st erile insect technique and supplemented by 
chemical and crop control activities. 
2. In 2005, the National Agriculture and Food  Quality and Health Service (SENASA) 
recognized the entire province of Mendoza as an area free of the genus Anastrepha .  In 2002, the 
entire province was given low prevalence status for Ceratitis capitata , while the following were 
recognized as Ceratitis capitata -free areas:  the valleys of Malargüe and El Sosneado (2003), the 
departments of Tunpungato, Tunuyán and San Carlos  (2004), and the departments of San Rafael and 
General Alvear (2006). 
3. It should be noted that in order to protect fru it fly-free areas from any form of pest entry and 
ensure their preservation, internal inspection poi nts were set up in 2007 on roads entering the 
Central and Southern Oases of the province to check  commercial loads entering the area.  2007 also 
saw the launch of a risk mitigation system coveri ng the movement of pest hosts from low prevalence 
areas to fruit fly-free areas for consumpti on in a fresh state or for processing. G/SPS/GEN/1178 
Page 2  
 
  II. LOCATION OF THE PROVINCE OF ME NDOZA (REPUBLIC OF ARGENTINA) 
 
 
III. LOCATION OF PRODUCTION OASES AND CHECKPOINTS 
 
 
 
Pacific 
Ocean 
Atlantic 
Ocean Brazil  Bolivia  
Southern 
Oasis  Central  
Oasis  North-Eastern 
Oasis  
AIRPORT 
AIRPORT 
Cultivated oasis  
Provincial barrier  
(ISCAMEN) 
Internal barrier  
Mobile barrier  
Provincial 
highway 
National highway   G/SPS/GEN/1178 
 Page 3 
 
 
  IV. USDA RECOGNITION OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN OASES OF THE 
PROVINCE OF MENDOZA AS FRUIT FLY-FREE AREAS 
4. In the Federal Register, Vol. 76, No. 248, of 27 December 2011, the United States 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognized th e Central and Southern Oases of the province of 
Mendoza as areas free of Ceratitis capitata  and Anastrepha  spp. 
5. The Central Oasis includes the departments of Tupungato, Tunuyán and San Carlos, while the 
Southern Oasis comprises the departments of Malargüe, San Rafael and General Alvear. 
6. This recognition was the result of extensive technical work conducted jointly by SENASA, 
the Agricultural Health and Quality Institute of  Mendoza (ISCAMEN) and the United States Animal 
and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHI S).  In 2006 and 2009, officials from these 
institutions made inspection visits to the region  to assess the monitoring network, the quarantine 
protection system, preventive control activities, a nd the registration and systematization of data. 
7. On the basis of this decision, th ere are two ways of exporting to the United States.  The first is 
to send a consignment directly to the country, accompanied by a SENASA phytosanitary certificate;  
the consignment will be registered by APHIS upon entry.  The second method involves what is known 
as a pre-shipment work plan, whereby SENASA a nd APHIS conduct a joint inspection and issue a 
certificate;  while the cost of this operation is cove red by the private sector, it is guaranteed that what 
is inspected in Argentina and authorized for di spatch will enter freely into the United States. 
8. This second method involves sending the goods to an  inspection site where they are protected 
from all types of insect.  Such sites have the sp ace and equipment to carry out an entomological 
inspection of either the full consignment or a sample. 
V. OTHER RECOGNITION 
9. In 2006, through Resolution No. 5331, the Chilean  Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG) 
recognized the Uco valley (Central Oasis) a nd the valleys of Malargüe and El Sosneado 
(Southern Oasis) in the province of Mendoza as fruit fly-free areas for Ceratitis capitata  and 
Anastrepha  spp.  This recognition was ratifie d in 2009 through Resolution No. 5281. 
10. More recently, in January 2012, SAG officials ma de an inspection visit to the departments of 
San Rafael and General Alvear (Southern Oasis) w ith a view to extending this recognition to those 
departments.  The publication of the corresponding Resolution is pending. 
__________