WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/295/Add.35 
1 March 2004 
 (04-0907) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
   
 
  
QUESTIONNAIRE ON TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 
 
Submission by Antigua and Barbuda
 
 
Addendum  
  
1. Antigua and Barbuda hereby submits its te chnical assistance requirements based on the 
questionnaire developed by the WTO Secretariat as a result of discussions at the 9 July 2001 informal 
meeting of the SPS Committee on technical assistance.  At this meeting the Secretariat was requested 
to circulate a new questionnaire on technical assistance activities that  focused on ascertaining 
developing countries' technical assistance requirement s.  This request for technical assistance also 
complies with Article 9 of the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. 
2. Antigua and Barbuda reserves the right to make  further amendments a nd additions to this 
request.  
 
  G/SPS/GEN/295/Add.35 
Page 2 Technical assistance requirements : 
 
 Information Training Infrastructure: (H ard and/or Soft) Specific concern Other 
Rights, 
obligations and practical 
operation of the 
SPS Agreement:   
  
 
  
 Training of relevant staff of the 
Ministry of Agriculture and of the Bureau of Standards on the 
Agreement on SPS Measures Computer facility for database 
and information management as it relates to SPS.  This will also 
assist in notification requirements 
under Annex B of the Agreement  
Need information systems for 
Enquiry Point 
 Need for greater policy space 
for development under the SPS Agreement Participation is key.  The 
IICA/USAID program of assistance is a good model 
to follow.  Either this 
should continue or a similar program 
developed. 
Food Safety  -Development of an 
information system 
(data base) for food safety ,animal 
health and plant 
health    
-Development of a 
strategic plan of 
action for food 
safety, animal and plant health 
 -Training in Risk Analysis in 
country  
 -Training on pesticide residue 
analysis 
-Attachment training in Risk 
Analysis Methodologies 
 
-An overview of the US food safety 
programmes in risk analysis, 
equivalence, and traceability  
-A training course in growing and 
marketing of organic and natural foods 
 
-Training in food safety statistics for policy making 
 -Food analysis lab 
 
-Computers for statistical management of food safety issues 
 
-Inspection and data gathering facilities and equipment 
(including GIS equipment) 
needed at the ports  
 
-Software for conducting risk assessment, and epidemiological 
investigation of pest and diseases 
relative to animal, plant and human health. 
 
 -There are no testing of foods, 
drugs/pesticide residues in 
Antigua and Barbuda due to lack of lab facilities 
 
-Personnel lack practical aspects in risk analysis 
 
-Food samples are not routinely 
collected-poor surveillance 
system  
-Lack of capacity to carry out 
inspection of certain aspects of food safety  
 
-Lack of statistics dealing with food safety issues locally 
 
-Appropriate  software for analysis of food and food safety 
data lacking    G/SPS/GEN/295/Add.35
 Page 3Technical assistance requirements : 
 
 Information Training Infrastructure: (H ard and/or Soft) Specific concern Other 
  -Training in meats and poultry 
inspection   
-Establishment of a National 
Programme of a modern Meat and Poultry inspection programme. 
 
-Field testing equipment for food 
safety, plant and animal health 
E.g. thermometers etc  
-Training in epidemiology relative 
to food safety and animal Health.  
-Development of a Inspection and 
Training Manual for plant and animal health inspectors at the ports 
of entry 
 -Field testing kits for 
microbiological analysis of food 
and water   
Development of regulations in plant 
and animal health and food safety  
     G/SPS/GEN/295/Add.35 
Page 4 Technical assistance requirements : 
 
 Information Training Infrastructure: (H ard and/or Soft) Specific concern Other 
  -Training/Attachment in the 
implementation of SPS measures 
-Fellowship Program of the USDA: 
training in agriculture, health and 
environmental for public and private sectors. Persons to be 
trained would include specialist, 
Central Marketing Corporation 
Administrators with topics to 
include inter alia effective agriculture management and 
marketing strategies and technology 
transfer.  
-Assess Food Safety Standard 
 -Food safety evaluation (USFDA) 
 
-Conformity assessment programmes 
 
-Training workshop on HACCP: plan development, implementation, 
and maintenance, SSOP programs, 
E. coli and Salmonella testing and performance standards 
      G/SPS/GEN/295/Add.35
 Page 5Technical assistance requirements : 
 
 Information Training Infrastructure: (H ard and/or Soft) Specific concern Other 
  -Train-the trainer focus on food 
microbiology analytical laboratory procedures, including data analysis 
and reporting to support regulatory 
actions; procedures for selected pathogens; quality assurance and 
standardized methods for 
designated food borne pathogens; 
lab safety precautions; and 
environmental controls.    
Animal Health   -Microbiological aspects of animal 
health  
-Training course or attachment on 
animal feed substitutes during drought-dry season feeding 
 
-Epidemiological surveillance 
program for Animal Health 
diseases.   
-Training in statistical maintenance 
of animal health issues  
-Technical assistance to develop 
standards for m eat products. 
 
- Code of practice for operation of 
abattoirs  Construct an animal quarantine 
station and incineration facilities  
 Ambyloma sp. tick problem in 
ruminants   G/SPS/GEN/295/Add.35 
Page 6 Technical assistance requirements : 
 
 Information Training Infrastructure: (H ard and/or Soft) Specific concern Other 
Plant Health  -Tech Packs in crop 
production (using  integrated pest 
management) for 
cotton, vegetables and tropical fruits 
-GIS & other 
software for 
acquiring & 
processing surveillance & 
other data 
-Appropriate 
reference software, 
books (with colour 
photos) & other information for use 
in pest 
identification & management in the 
lab & on the field. 
-Plant Protection 
training manual & 
training materials 
for orientation & refresher purposes 
 -Training for farmers -
Manufacturing standards and quality of US agricultural inputs 
 
-Training for agricultural extension officers and farmers on costing of 
farm produce 
-Marketing training for Central 
Marketing Corporation employees 
and agricultural officials 
-Technical assistance to develop 
standards for agricultural produce  
-Training of trainers workshop in 
crop production/protection methods 
for cotton, vegetables & tropical 
fruits 
-Training in use of appropriate GIS 
software for data management in 
plant health 
 -Provision of adequate  plant 
protection facilities (to include those for pest identification, 
incineration, quarantine, 
fumigation, inspection, data management & processing)  
 
-Construction of a centralized 
agricultural health & food safety 
laboratory 
 -Farmers are unaware of foreign 
standards and quality requirements 
 
-Farmers are unaware of how to cost their products 
 
-Weak marketing skills at 
Central Marketing Board 
 -Currently available tertiary 
level training in crop protection 
in the Caribbean is limited to the M.Sc. level 
 
-Appropriate facilities for fumigation, quarantine, 
inspection, etc. are currently 
very limited or non-existent  
-Antigua & Barbuda is very 
vulnerable to the entry of plant pests and diseases (net importer 
of goods; cruise, yacht & air 
tourist destination; hub to many countries including the 
Caribbean, South, Central & 
North America & Europe) due 
to the current inadequacies of its 
quarantine & other facilities    G/SPS/GEN/295/Add.35
 Page 7Technical assistance requirements : 
 
 Information Training Infrastructure: (H ard and/or Soft) Specific concern Other 
  -Training attachments of plant 
health regulators to plant protection agencies of main exporters of 
produce from Antigua & Barbuda 
-Certification training courses for 
plant protection and extension 
officers in surveillance (including 
GIS technology), quarantine 
measures, conduct of PRAs, data 
management, and other areas covered by the ISPMs 
Bachelor of Science degree or 
associate degree or certificate level training in plant protection for 
officers, for whom experience in 
the area could be accepted in lieu of academic requirements    
Contact details Director, Antigua and Barbuda Bureau of Standards, Ministry of Trade and Industry, P.O. Box 1550, St. John’s, Antigua, West Ind ies.  Telephone (268) 562-
4011, fax: (268) 462-1625, (268) 462-2424 
 G/SPS/GEN/295/Add.35 
Page 8  
 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 
(Such information could include, inter alia, a more deta iled description of the technical assistance required, 
any relevant background information on the reasons for the request, the possibility of using a regional 
approach to the provision of the requested assist ance and the scope for a coordinated approach among 
relevant international organisations.) 
 
 
The Government of Antigua & Barbuda has agreed to the formation of a National Agricultural Health & Food 
Safety Agency and to membership in the Caribbean counterpart: the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food 
Safety Agency.  To this end, the matter of instituti ng a system in country to coordinate all stakeholder 
Government Ministries and relevant stakeholders in the pr ivate sector of the country is being discussed.  One of 
the components of this policy is the amalgamation of all laboratories as far as possible into one central facility 
in which major equipment can be shared and thro ugh which human and other r esources would be better 
managed.  Currently, existing agriculture and food safety labs are inadequately outf itted and extremely limited 
in capacity and basic resources.  With respect to Animal & Plant Health Facilities at the por ts of entry, facilities are currently either non-existent 
or limited to seating for officers.  Facilities at the cent ral plant and animal health facilities are also extremely 
limited and only very basic entomological inspections can  be carried out.  There are no facilities for the other 
areas of crop or animal protection (quarantine, pathology, nematology, virology, etc.) and no animal veterinary 
laboratory.  Due to financial constraints, the government is currently  unable to provide the n ecessary facilities to allow the 
country to adequately meet its oblig ations under the WTO-SPS Agreement in a timely fashion.  It must be 
reinforced that Antigua & Barbuda is very vulnerable to  the entry of pests and diseases of plants and animals 
due to the high level of importation of agricultural pr oduce and the high degree of tourist and other passenger 
travel through the country’s ports.  To this end, theref ore, technical assistance must be solicited as a matter of 
urgency.  As listed, the nature of the technical assi stance would include training,  provision of equipment 
(laboratory & data management, computers, printers a nd software), and provision of infrastructure such as 
buildings to house the centres of operation for animal and plant health and food safety in both Antigua and 
Barbuda.   
 
     
 
    
 
 
  
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