G/SPS/GEN/1434  
23 July 2015  
(15-3758)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: Spanish  
 
  STATEMENT BY ECUADOR 
PEST- AND DISEASE-FREE AREAS 
15-16 JULY 2015 
COMMUNICATION FROM ECUADOR 
The following communication, dated 15 July 2015, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Ecuador. 
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  1.  The delegation of Ecuador hereby wishes to in form the WTO Membership of the progress made 
by the country in achieving recognition of pest- and disease-free areas. 
2.  The national entity responsible for coordination in this field is the Ministry of Agriculture, 
Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries through the Ecuadorian Agency for Agricultural Product 
Quality Assurance (AGROCALIDAD). This agency is tasked with implementing national and 
international regulations concerning the protecti on and improvement of animal and plant health 
and food safety, safeguarding public health and the environment, and involving the private sector 
and other actors in the implementation of related plans, programmes and projects. 
3.  This work resulted in the recognition by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) of 
Ecuador as a country free from African horse sickness and from the peste des petits ruminants at last year's World Assembly. 
4.  Furthermore, at the 83
rd General Session of the World Assembly of OIE Delegates , held in Paris 
in May 2015, the insular territory of the Galapagos was recognized as an FMD-free zone where vaccination is not practised and continental Ecuador was recognized as an FMD-free zone where 
vaccination is practised, in accordance with the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code. 
5.  It should be stressed that this certification is the result of vigorous joint efforts by the public 
and private sectors to highlight Ecuador's potential as an exporter of meat and milk. These efforts 
have created new opportunities to improve Ecuador's economy and guarantee safe food products 
for its citizens. 
6.  In addition, in January 2014 AGROCALIDAD implemented the national fruit fly management 
project, the main goal of which is to reduce th e presence of these pests and declare free and/or 
low prevalence areas in order to promote the opening of new international markets and the 
diversification of exportable supply. This project currently covers 17 of the country's 24 provinces. 
7.  The main results achieved to date under the project include the following: 
a. Study of the country's fruit-growing areas to identify the species grown and establish the 
approximate production area. 
b. Establishment of the Ecuadorian fruit fly monitoring network, composed of Jackson traps 
for catching the species Ceratitis capitata and McPhail traps for catching species of the 
genus  Anastrepha . The network consists of a total of 5,254 geo-referenced traps. G/SPS/GEN/1434 
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  c. Monitoring is carried out in 33 dragon fruit production sites in Palora Canton, Pastaza 
Province (Ecuador's Amazon region), with a trap density of one trap per hectare: 
 the Productankay cape gooseberry plantati on in Mejía Canton, Pichincha Province, 
is free from Ceratitis capitata and has a total of 38 traps with a trap density of one 
trap per hectare, which is a condition for being able to export to the United States; 
 traps are maintained at a density of one trap per hectare in papaya plantations in 
Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Santo Domingo Province, in order to be able to 
export to Chile and the United States; 
 strict supervision of monitoring activities is maintained in mango production sites in 
the provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos and El Oro, in accordance with the work plan for exportation to the United States. 
d. Establishment of a list of fruit fly species present in Ecuador. 
e. Establishment of a list of fruit fly host species. 
f. Creation of seven mobile units controlling the movement of fruit trees. 
g. Entomology laboratory strengthening. 
h. Organization of 240 fruit fly extension and training events nationwide, with a total 
of 5,067 participants. 
i. Development of regulatory documents that support the project's goals, including: 
 fruit fly monitoring manual (currently being legally adopted); 
 guide to the supervision of fruit fly monitoring; 
 manual for quarantine fruit fly species monitoring; 
 integrated fruit fly management manual; 
 emergency plan in the event of the entry of quarantine fruit fly species; 
 emergency plan for areas of low prevalence of the fruit fly Ceratitis capitata ; 
 guide for trapping fruit flies on cape gooseb erry plantations (currently being corrected). 
8.  The activities undertaken in the context of the proj ect have yielded positive results, such as the 
declaration of Ceratitis capitata -free production sites in Mejía Canton, Pichincha Province, which is 
a condition for cape gooseberry ex port, and the declaration of an Anastrepha grandis -free area  in 
Santa Elena, a province mainly devoted to cucurbit production. 
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