. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/876 
26 September 2008 
 
 (08-4536) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
 
MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE ON SANITARY 
AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES 
8 AND 9 OCTOBER 2008 
 
Statement by Paraguay
 
 
  The following communication, received on 24 September 2008, is being circulated at the 
request of the delegation of Paraguay.  
_______________ 
 
 
I. ACTIVITIES OF MEMBERS 
A. XIV
 INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON HARMONIZATION OF REGISTRATION AND CONTROL OF 
VETERINARY DRUGS  
1. In line with the activities conducted in the fra mework of Committee of the Americas for 
Veterinary Medicine (CAMEVET-OIE), the Na tional Animal Quality and Health Service 
(SENACSA) organized, in Asunción, Para guay, from 8 to 13 September 2008, the XIV International 
Seminar on Harmonization of Registration and Control of Veterinary Drugs , which addressed 
technical and operational topics relating to the ins titutionalization of the operation of mechanisms for 
the harmonization, registration and control of veterinary drugs in the member countries of the World 
Organization for Animal Health (O IE) on the American continent. 
2. The working documents on implementation of  biosecurity, bioequivalence, and good 
manufacturing practices in the preparation of ectoparasiticides, and the audit guides for pharmacological and biological products, were revised.   Criteria were developed for the establishment 
of validity periods for veterinary products, togeth er with guidelines for assessing the efficiency of 
internal antiparasitics and a reference document on legal practices in the marketing of veterinary 
products. 
3. The seminar was attended by 152 animal he alth professionals from both the public and 
private sector throughout the American continent. 
4. Finally, a workshop was organized in conjunction with the seminar by the Center for 
Veterinary Medicine of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to present updated 
safety requirements for the approval of veterinary medicines and the safety assessment criteria for new anti-microbials as regards their effect on bacteria of interest to human health. 
1. Authorization to import Paraguayan meat into the European Community 
5. The European Union (EU) has notified the reopeni ng of its market to imports of Paraguayan 
meat following the OIE's recognition, in 2007, of Paraguay's status as free of foot-and-mouth disease G/SPS/GEN/876 
Page 2  
 
  with vaccination, with the exception of a high-surv eillance area along its exte rnal borders;  and in 
view of the favourable result of the Comm unity inspection conducted in April 2008, it proceeded to 
authorize imports of fresh de-boned and matured f resh bovine meat from the territory of Paraguay 
(Commission Decision No. 2008/642/EC). 
2. Use of prescriptions for agrochemicals 
6. By Resolution 338 of 15 July 2008, the Nationa l Plant and Seed Quality and Health Service 
(SENAVE) established that agrochemicals in th e "red band" category may only be purchased and 
applied by prescription from a professional SENAVE -registered agronomist.  This Resolution 
regulates Article 6 of Decree 2048/04, which refers to the issuance of agronomic prescriptions in 
respect of "red band" class Ia and Ib pesticides.  This requirement will enter into legal force on 
1 November of this year. 
7. The active ingredients affected by this measure  are:  benfuracarb, endosulfan, metomyl, 
DDVP, carbofuran, paraquat, thiodicarb, lambdaci alotine, methyl bromide, aluminium phosphide, 
malathion, aldicarb, 2, 4-DB amine, dimethylate, brodifacoum and tetra-ethyl hydroxicoumarin. 
3. Monitoring the utilization of international standards 
8. SENAVE was designated National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) for the purposes of 
the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC),  with the power to adopt standards emanating 
from the IPPC, by Decree No. 12677 of 2008, available at:  http://www.senave.gov.py. 
4. Stevia (Ka'a He'e) assigned a definitive Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) 
9. The meeting of the FAO/WHO Join Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) held in 
Rome from 17 to 26 June 2008 completed the evaluation of Steviol glycoside  (Ka'a He'e), concluding 
in its report (JECFA/69/SC) that this sweetener was perfectly safe and without adverse effects on 
health, and assigning it a definitive Acceptable  Daily Intake (ADI) of 0 to 4 mg/kg. 
10. Ka'a He'e ( Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni ) is a plant of Paraguayan origin from which the active 
ingredient Steviol glycoside , the only calorie-free sweetener of natural origin, is extracted. 
II. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND COOPERATION 
11. Under the Horizontal Cooperation Programme  between Chile (AGCI-SAG) and Paraguay 
(IICA-SENAVE-SENACSA) a number of exchanges of  experience and consu ltations have taken 
place with a view to building up the technical cap acity of the SPS implementing authorities.  The 
activities organized in the animal health area are:   diagnosis of bacterial diseases and control of 
biologicals production, risk map development, canine training techniques for quarantine services, prevention services in areas of foot-and-mout h disease without vaccination, and control and 
inspection training for health services in cold stor es and slaughterhouses.  Activities organized in the 
plant health area include:  ELISA and PCR tec hniques for bacteria, fungi, viruses and viroids, 
phytosanitary inspection and certification, phytosanit ary surveillance and pest risk analysis (PRA), 
fruit fly contingency plans, quarantine systems and ri sk prevention and practical training with respect 
to wheat and soya beans:  distinction, homogene ity, and pre- and post-control in seed certification. 
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