G/SPS/GEN/1578  
 
13 October 2017  
(17-5538) Page: 1/5 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: Spanish  
 
  
ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKE N BY THE INTERNATION AL REGIONAL  
ORGANIZATION FOR PLA NT AND ANIMAL HEALTH  (OIRSA)  
RELATING TO THE WTO AGREEMENT ON THE  
APPLICATION OF SANIT ARY AND  
PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES  
REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE ON SANI TARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES  
JUNE-SEPTEMBER 2017  
The following communication, received on 13  October  2017, is being circulated at the request of 
OIRSA . 
 
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1  TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DISSEMI NATION ACTIVITIES RELATING TO 
AGRICULTURAL HEALTH AND TRADE  
1.1.  An online training course on plant production systems was held for safety auditors  and was 
attended by 152 participants from the OIRSA region and other Latin American countries.  
1.2.  In conjunction with the Inter -American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) , OIRSA 
organized  the second online course for training trainers in good livestock, manufacturing and 
HACCP practices (in relation to cattle, pigs and poultry ). The cours e was attended by 
461 participants from the countries of the OIRSA region and other Latin American countries.  
1.3.  A joint OSPESCA -OIRSA videoconference launch ed the process of circulation and 
dissemination of OIRSA 's work in developing  online courses and good practice manuals for  
small -scale maritime fish eries, good aquaculture practices aboard small vessels  and good 
manufacturing practices.  
1.4.  OIRSA produced  videographic materials on the safety  of hydrobiological products , filming 
tilapia and shrimp farms run by cutting -edge firms that export to the United States, Europe, 
Japan, Mexico and Central America. All these recordings are among  the support materials to be 
used in the online course on good aquaculture practices  currently being developed .  
1.5.  Within the framework of the OIRSA -Chinese Taipei/ICDF HLB project, a training day on 
huanglongbing (HLB) management  and prevention and healthy citrus plant production systems 
was organized for 30 students from the University of Panama's Faculty of Agronomy .  
1.6.  Within the framework of the OIRSA -Chinese Taipei/ICDF HLB project, a training event on 
integrated management of citrus HLB  was held for 82 citrus fruit growers , with support from the 
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of El Salvador . 
1.7.  Within the framework of the OIRSA -Chinese Taipei/ICDF HLB project, a technical and 
practical training  course on proper application of the technical standard on phytosanitary 
certification of citrus propagation material  (NTON -11 038 -13) was provided for 20 technic al 
personnel  of Nicaragua's Institute for Agricultural and Livestock Protection and Health (IPSA) . G/SPS/GEN/1578  
 
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  1.8.  Within the framework of the OIRSA -Chinese Taipei/ICDF HLB project, OIRSA ran a training 
event with support from the National Agricultural Health Servi ce (SENASA) of Honduras for 
70 citrus fruit growers, nursery gardene rs and technical personnel . The focus was essentially  on 
topics relating to the production  of healthy plants , IPM, and phytosanitary diagnosis and 
surveillance . 
1.9.  Within the framework of the OIRSA -Chinese Taipei/ICDF HLB project, OIRSA and  the Ministry 
of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA) of Guatemala jointly coordinated and conducted  a field 
day on integrated HLB management for some 30 first -year agronomy stud ents from the Central 
National School of Agriculture  (ENCA).  
1.10.   The first online course on integrated citrus HLB management , aimed at building capacity  in 
the technical, biosafety and technological aspects of HLB management and the production of 
healthy citrus plant s, was organized  in OIRSA's virtual classroom for citrus fruit growers, nursery 
gardeners  and technic al personnel  from the various Ministries or Secretariats of Agriculture of the 
OIRSA  region , South America and the Caribbean. More than 1,100 p eople registered for the 
course.  
1.11.   An international regional meeting on HLB  was held  in Honduras under the 
OIRSA -Chinese  Taipei/ICDF HLB project , bringing together world -class experts with proven 
experience in the production  of healthy citrus plants , HLB diagnos is and integrated HLB 
management , who provided technical assistance for more than 90 technical personnel  involved in  
national HLB programmes in Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic.   
1.12.   Jointly with IPSA and with support from Mexico's National Agriculture and Food Health, 
Safety and Quality Service (SENASICA) and the FAO, OIRSA ran a workshop on epidemiological 
surveillance systems and phytosanitary simulation  exercise s on coffee leaf rust and Tuta absoluta  
in tomato crops, aimed at 40 tec hnical personnel  from all over  the country .  
1.13.   A regional workshop on the establishment and validation of  animal and plant  health risk 
maps and climatic variables was held in El Salvador  in order  to develop  clear and timely measures 
for the prevent ion and  control of, and ad aptation  to, pests and diseases resulting from climate 
change. Training was provided for 32 technical personnel  from the various OIRSA countries.  
1.14.   OIRSA took part as a panelist in Colombia's 7th Banana Technical Congress  to ensure 
preparedness of the Mesoamerican region against  the threat of  banana  Fusarium wilt (Foc TR4) 
and to draw up courses of action  for the regional task force set up by OIRSA , together with the 
Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) and  Mexico's SENASICA , to evaluate 
exclusion and outbreak management systems . 
1.15.   In August and September, awareness -raising talks on the importance of epidemiological 
surveillance in relation to vesicular diseases and cattle screwworm were attended by veterinari ans 
and producers from Belize and Guatemala.  
1.16.   In August, OIRSA held a refresher course on cross -border diseases for agricultural 
quarantine officials in the Dominican Republic.  
1.17.   In September, it gave a refresher course on cross -border animal diseases for Agricultural 
Protection Service (SEPA) personnel in Honduras.  
1.18.   An international workshop on building capacity to respond to health emergencies (GEMP) , 
jointly organized by OIRSA, the FAO and APHIS -USDA, was held in Antigua, Guatemala,  in August.  
The workshop was attended by veterinarians from the veterinary services of Belize, El  Salvador 
and Guatemala.   
1.19.   An online course on shrimp diagnostic methods , using the OIRSA platform, was held from 
24 July to 1 September . The course was attended  and succe ssfully completed  by 201 students .  
1.20.   The third online course on epidemiological surveillance in shrimp farming, using the OIRSA 
platform and bringing together 233 students, began on 11 September and is still ongoing.  G/SPS/GEN/1578  
 
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  1.21.   Together  with the OIE, OIRSA ran a workshop in Panama on legislation and biological threat 
reduction , aimed at strengthening biological threat reduction capabilities , contributing to the 
drafting of legislative proposals , and follow ing up and  support ing the commit ments undertaken by 
the region's veterinary authorities.  
1.22.   OIRSA delivered  a talk entitled "F ollow-up to the Programme for the Progressive Control of 
Brucellosis and Bovine Tuberculosis in Central American Countries" at a meeting of the Board of 
Directors of the Central American Federation of the Dairy Sector (FECALAC) . 
1.23.   Final-year students of veterinary medicine at Nicaragua's National Agrarian University (UNA)  
received training in the Codex Alimentarius and WTO sanitary and phytosanitary measures . 
1.24.   OIRSA gave a talk during  the course on biosafety measures in the event of an outbreak of 
highly pathogenic avian influenza, o rganized by IPSA  in Nicaragua . The course was  attended by 
60 animal health professionals and technical personnel . 
1.25.   Also in Nicaragua, t echnical support was provided for IPSA's  national simulation exercise on 
highly pathogen ic avian influenza . Forty IPSA veterinarians  took part . 
1.26.   OIRSA gave a talk on the role of veterinarians in the 21st century to veterinary medicine and 
animal  husbandry students and lecturers at the University of San Carlos of Guatemala ( USAC), as 
well as  professionals from the College of Veterinary Surgeons.  
1.27.   A virtual meeting was held with the directors of veterinary services of the OIRSA member 
countries to define regional support measures for the prevention and control of diseases of concern 
to these countries.  
2  SUPPORT FOR THE HARM ONIZATION AND EQUIVA LENCE PROCESS  
2.1.  The 16th meeting to review draft International Standards of Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM s) 
submitted by the IPPC for comments took place in El Salvador and was attended by officials from 
Mexico, Central America and the Dominican Republic.  
2.2.  OIRSA participated  in the 2017 IPPC R egional Workshop for Latin America, held in Peru, 
which reviewed and provided first comments on draft ISPMs. The workshop was  also attended by 
the Southern Cone Plant Protection Committee (COSAVE), the Andean Community and the IICA, 
amon g others.  
2.3.  OIRSA took an active part in a National Codex Alimentarius Committee meeting in  
El Salvador  to examine  and put forward  draft standards with a view to the 40th Session of the 
Codex Alimentarius Commission, held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 17 to 22 July 2017.   
2.4.  The health authorities of Guatemala's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food  (MAGA) 
received support in prepar ing and deliver ing two draft  ministerial decision s on the National 
Programme for the Progressive Control of Brucellosis and Bovine Tuberculosis, drawn up  on the 
basis of regulatory proposals  resulting from  Project STDF/PG/358 and decisions adopted  by the 
MAGA/ASODEL/OIRSA working group.  
2.5.  Regional guideline s on the inspection of broiler chicken facilities were adopted at the meeting 
of the Regional Technical Committee on Poultry Health (CTRSA) and the Federation of Poultry 
Farmers of Central America and the Caribbean (FEDAVICAC).  
2.6.  The 5th meeting of the technical group on plant and animal  health and food safety (SAIA) of 
the Central American Agricultural Council (CAC)  was held to discuss regulatory proposals  for the 
progressive control of brucellosis and bovine tuberculosis  resulting from Project STDF/PG/3 58. G/SPS/GEN/1578  
 
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  3  PREVENTION, CONTROL AND ERADICATION ACTI VITIES (PROGRAMMES O R 
CAMPAIGNS)  
3.1.  OIRSA assisted  Honduras in identifying the yellow sorghum aphid pest and its natural 
enemies , carrying out field visits and providing on-site training for more than 60 technical 
personnel and producers  in the main sorghum and millet production areas.  
3.2.  Within the framework of the OIRSA -Chinese Taipei/ICDF HLB project  in Honduras , a technical 
meeting , bringing together  about 150 Honduran citrus fruit growers, nursery gardeners and  
traders , was organized  jointly with Ministry of Agriculture officials to discuss marketing and 
HLB control .  
3.3.  Three sanitary warnings were issued in support of  measures to prevent the introduction of 
foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at the countries' ports of entry and to strengthen epidemiological 
surveillance .  
3.4.  In El Salvador, FMD update  sessions were held for agricultural quarantine personnel  of the 
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, with an emphasis on survival and resistance of the virus and 
its respon se to the use of disinfectants.  
3.5.  Guatemala received  technical advice on products of animal origin and their marketing  
according to the OIE's risk criteria , adjusted  to the realities of the region.  
3.6.  Technical support was provided for Guatemala's activities to  eradicate low -pathogenicity 
H5N2 avian influenza.  
3.7.  El Salvador received technical support to develop a sampling design for determining the 
presence or absence of low -pathogenicity H5N2 avian influenza.  
3.8.  Honduras was given technical support in developing ran dom sampling designs for detecting 
Newcastle disease and avian influenza.  
3.9.  Ten mist nets for vampire bats were provided to assist Belize in its paralytic rabies control 
and epidemiological surveillance activities.  
3.10.   OIRSA provided the official veterinary services of Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua  with 
diagnostic kits for bovine spongiform  encephalopathy (BSE) and animal proteins in feed . 
3.11.   Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama received  support in obtaining 
ELISA  diagn ostic kits for the detection of  antibodies against classical swine fever ( CSF).  
3.12.    OIRSA helped Panama establish  a work schedule  for the "Dr Gerardino Medina H." 
veterinary diagnostic and research laboratory (LADIV) , with a view to set ting up an equine 
encephalitis diagnostic service  for the OIRSA member countries.  
3.13.   In conjunction with the Pan American Foot -and-Mouth Disease Center (PANAFTOSA), OIRSA 
arranged for bovine  paralytic  rabies  diagnostic  conjugates to be obtained for Guatemala's 
laborator y. 
3.14.   OIRSA continued to support CSF epidemiological surveillance activities in Guatemala and 
provided assistance in compiling the dossier that will be used to  apply for OIE recognition of the 
country as free from the disease . 
4  STRENGTHENING OF NAT IONAL INSTITUTIONS IN ORDE R TO FACILITATE TRAD E 
4.1.  In August and September, OIRSA assisted  the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) of 
El Salvador with the evaluation of  sampling  and microbiological analysis of fluid milk and dairy 
produce entering the country . G/SPS/GEN/1578  
 
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  4.2.  With the help of SENASICA 's National Reference Centre for Pesticides and Contaminants  
(Mexico) , OIRSA drew up a questionnaire to assess the situation of laboratories run by the 
member countries' Ministries and Secretariats of Agriculture and Lives tock, with a view to defining 
a strategy in support of their development .  
4.3.  In El Salvador, OIRSA participated in a meeting of the National Bacterial Resistance 
Committee , headed by the Ministry of Public Health, to promote strategies for action under the 
National Plan to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance  in agri -food systems and animal health, including 
the rational use of antibiotics in animal health and agriculture.  
4.4.  In Honduras, OIRSA provided technical assistance on meat inspection in export abattoirs  
slaughtering animals with lesions suspected of being induced by bovine tuberculosis . Veterinarians 
and technical personnel  of the National Agricultural Safety Service  (SENASA)  received training on 
the subject . 
4.5.  OIRSA took part in a working session organized by the Vice -Minister of Plant and Animal 
Health and Regulations (VISAR)  of Guatemala to formalize  the status of slaughterhouse inspect ors, 
so as to  facilitate beef exports to other countries.  
4.6.  A working meeting was held with officials of the Veter inary Service of the Guatemalan 
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAGA) to draw up  projects to be implemented  under  the 
national programmes for the prevention, control and eradication of animal diseases  in the 
2018-2019 biennium . 
5  STRATEGIC ALLIANCES FOR THE PROMOTION OF  HEALTH AND TRADE  
5.1.  A partnership between OIRSA, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) of Costa Rica 
(through  its State Phytosanitary Service (SFE) ) and the National Banana Corporation (CORBANA)  
was established to prevent fusari osis or Fusarium wilt in banana and plantain plantations.  
Fusarium oxysporum  f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 is the main threat to the continent's banana 
and plantain crops . 
5.2.  A Latin American task force composed of specialists from OIRSA, Brazil's EMBRAPA, 
Costa  Rica's CORBANA, Mexico's Postgraduate College and SENASICA , and Cuba's Plant Health 
Directorate was set up to prevent and deal with potential outbreaks of Foc TR4 and other banana 
quarantine pests.  
5.3.  OIRSA is working together with the FAO on the harmo nization of an epidemiological 
information system common to the  countries of the regi on. 
5.4.  OIRSA is continuing to support the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA) in 
coordinating the implementation of the Honey Chain Traceability in Guatemala project 
(STDF/PG/515).  
5.5.  OIRSA is implementing the Regional Project for the Accreditation of Laboratory Diagnostic 
Tests for Animal Diseases (STDF/PG/495) . 
5.6.  OIRSA is also implementing a regional  project on support for the development of 
antimicrobial resistance (AMR) national action plans in Latin America and the Caribbean 
(FMM/RLA/215/MUL) . 
5.7.  The FAO -OIRSA technical cooperation project on the strengthening of agricultural health 
services between t he Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic (TCP/RLA/3502) is under way.  
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