G/SPS/GEN/1367  
10 October 2014  
(14-5798)  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, 
OCTOBER 2014 
The following communication, received on 10 Octobe r 2014, is being circulated at the request of 
OIRSA. 
 
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1  TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DI SSEMINATION ACTIVITIES RELATING TO 
AGRICULTURAL HEALTH AND TRADE 
1.1.  In Honduras, public and private sector experts were provided basic training on the 
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its regulations. A regional workshop was organized in Costa Rica on strategic planning for pest diagnostic laboratories, geared towards the 
establishment of a quality management syst em. A regional workshop was organized on 
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense , also in Costa Rica. 
1.2.  In El Salvador, a regional workshop on agrifood  law was organized jointly with the FAO, with 
special emphasis on phytosanitary and food safety law with respect to foods of plant origin. 
1.3.  In Guatemala, a training workshop was held on the molecular diagnostics of 
citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) using conventional PCR technology. 
1.4.  In El Salvador, a preparatory workshop for the 9
th session of the Commission on 
Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-9) was organized with the support of the IPPC, and during the 
meeting of the Commission, advice was prov ided to the member countries present. 
1.5.  Technical meetings were held in Honduras and Guatemala to devise strategies to prevent the 
entry of the Mediterranean fruit fly ( Ceratitis capitata ) into the free areas of Belize, Mexico, 
Guatemala and Honduras. 
1.6.  A surveillance guide for Trogoderma granarium  Everts was developed in the OIRSA member 
countries, together with instructional material on HLB control. 
1.7.  With the technical support of SENASICA/SAGARPA of Mexico, a regional course was organized 
on calculation of uncertainty and validation for animal health diagnostic laboratories. 
1.8.  A national workshop on good practices in animal welfare was organized in Guatemala. 
1.9.  Twelve poultry health and management training days were organized for small producers in 
Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. 
1.10.  Nicaragua held a regional simulation for the prevention, control and eradication of exotic 
avian and pig diseases. G/SPS/GEN/1367 
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  1.11.  Courses were held in Guatemala and Nicaragua on pig farm bio-safety and backyard pig 
feeding. 
1.12.  OIRSA made a presentation on bovine traceability at the National Congress of Milk 
Producers of Guatemala. 
1.13.  In El Salvador, a programme for beekeepers, Apicultores de Avanzada  (Pioneers of 
Beekeeping), was organized in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the honey subsector and the USAID scheme for the development of the SMEs. The programme 
consisted of theoretical and practical training sessions for 200 beekeeping SMEs, technical 
assistance for 25 selected beekeepers, and workshops for MAG experts, Universities and OIRSA officials. The programme was organized into th ree modules: (a) Beekeeping traceability and 
safety; (b) Apicultural health and management; (c) Productivity and running the business. 
1.14.  In the framework of the VI International Symposium on Aquaculture Health and Safety, 
OIRSA made a presentation on its strategy and implementation of health measures in response to the early mortality syndrome in shrimps. 
2  SUPPORT FOR THE HARMONIZATION AND EQUIVALENCE PROCESS 
2.1.  OIRSA participated in the 37
th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission held in Geneva, 
Switzerland. 
2.2.  Regional standards were developed in relation to animal welfare for pigs, cattle and poultry. 
2.3.  OIRSA participated in the Twentieth Seminar of the Committee of the Americas for Veterinary 
Medicines (CAMEVET) organized by the OIE, and financed the participation of delegates from its member countries. 
2.4.  OIRSA helped the authorities of El Salvador to define the sanitary and documentary 
requirements for the importation of bovine semen and embryos originating in and consigned from countries with foot-and-mouth disease and destined for OIRSA member countries. 
2.5.  A training course in methyl bromide fumigation was organized with the Australian 
Department of Agriculture, and was attended by 60 participants from the ministries of agriculture of the member countries. A process of training trainers in methyl bromide treatment was also 
initiated. 
2.6.  The following standardized manuals were prod uced: a manual of good management practices 
for the cultivation of bivalve molluscs; a step-by-step practical manual for implementing the quality management system in animal health labora tories on the basis of OIE standards; a protocol 
on the prevention of outbreaks of A. tumida  in OIRSA member countries; guidelines for 
epidemiological surveillance of bovine spongiform  encephalopathy in Guatemala and El Salvador; a 
manual on cleaning and disinfection in animal health; and procedural manuals, folders and 
individual cattle identification posters. 
3  SUPPORT FOR REGIONALIZATION (ESTABLISHMENT OF PEST-/DISEASE-FREE AND 
LOW-PREVALENCE AREAS, DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOCOLS FOR THEIR RECOGNITION) 
3.1.  A project financed by the European Union involving the coordinated efforts of authorities from 
BAHA/BLPA and OIRSA was launched with a view to monitoring, evaluating, and cooperating in the screening of the national herd to determine the pr evalence of bovine brucellosis and tuberculosis 
in Belize prior to the finalization of the second national screening, the ultimate aim being 
self-declaration as a country free of the diseases. 
4  FOR PREVENTION, CONTROL AND ERADICATION ACTIVITIES (PROGRAMMES OR 
CAMPAIGNS) 
4.1.  OIRSA is currently implementing the followin g programmes: the regional programme for the 
prevention of regional quarantine pests T. granarium, FOC R4T, Fusari um gutiforme, M. cribraria, 
Bactrocera dorsalis, B. invadens , A. suspensa, B. cucurbitae; the regional programme for the G/SPS/GEN/1367 
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  control of regional pests of limited distribution: T. absoluta , G. rostochiensis , C. capitata , T. palmi , 
R. indica , M. hirsutus ; the regional programme for the control of coffee leaf rust; the regional 
programme for the control of citrus HLB; and the regional emergency programme to contain A. grandis  in Panama. 
4.2.  OIRSA produced a proposal for the eradication of classical swine fever in Guatemala in 2015. 
4.3.  Belize was provided support in declaring areas free from tuberculosis and brucellosis and in 
revising traceability procedures for bovines. 
4.4.  The activities of the classical swine fever programme in Nicaragua and in El Salvador were 
monitored, supervised and assessed. 
5  STRENGTHENING OF NATIONAL INSTITUTIO NS IN ORDER TO FACILITATE TRADE 
5.1.  The Emergency Health Programme launched in response to the appearance of Aethina tumida  
in El Salvador was completed, and the beetle brought under control. 
5.2.  A technical tour was organized for government officials and producers in Nicaragua in order 
to share Mexico's experience in exporting bovine meat to the European Union. 
5.3.  The health authorities of Guatemala, Hondur as, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama were 
provided with diagnostic kits for classical sw ine fever, African swine fever, PRRS, Aujeszky's 
disease, West Nile disease, and sw ine transmissible gastroenteritis. 
5.4.  The study to determine the presence or absence in El Salvador of Brucella abortus  in goats 
and sheep, tuberculosis in goats and sheep,  and caprine arthritis encephalitis, was 
completed (2013-2014). 
5.5.  The Bovine traceability information and registration platform (SARB) was developed. 
5.6.  In the Dominican Republic, the national system of bovine traceability, individual identification, 
and registration of cattle through the SARB plat form was implemented and officially launched. 
5.7.  In El Salvador, the research project to determine the presence or absence of American 
foulbrood was completed. 
5.8.  Countries were provided support in connection with serological and virological sampling for 
research on antigens and antibodies for classical swine fever. 
5.9.  With the support of the Standards and Trad e Development Facility (STDF), OIRSA is 
implementing a regional veterinary legislation project (STDA/AG/358) for OIRSA member countries, under which national workshops were held in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala in order to enhance understanding and establish common criteria among veterinary surgeons, 
producers and legal representatives at the central and regional levels in each country, as well as to 
introduce them to the procedures for drafting national standards and to identify potential means of communicating national standards from the central to the regional level. 
6  STRATEGIC ALLIANCES FOR THE PROMOTION OF HEALTH AND TRADE 
6.1.  Panama hosted the annual meeting of the Central American Beef Federation (FECESCABO), 
which examined the status and progress of the Re gional Programme for the Progressive Control of 
Brucellosis in Central America, a project led by the FAO and OIRSA. A similar event was held on 
the premises of the unionized dairy sector at the Central American Federation of the Dairy Sector (FECALAC). G/SPS/GEN/1367 
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  6.2.  Together with other public and private organizations and institutions, OIRSA participates in 
the regional cooperation network for the prevention of Fusarium oxysporum  f. sp. cubense . 
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We invite you to visit our website at: http://www.oirsa.org . 
 
In order to comment on this report or obtain additional information, please contact: Edwin Aragón, 
email: earagon@oirsa.org . 
 
For more information on food safety, please contact: Eva Bravo, email: ebravo@oirsa.org . 
 
For any queries on animal health activities, please contact: Luis Alberto Espinoza, email: mailto:ebravo@oirsa.org . 
 
For further information on plant health, please contact: Benjamín Muñoz, email: bquintanilla@oirsa.org . 
 
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