Geneva, October 6, 2008

Daniel Orellana

Regional Coordinator for

SPS & TCB

USAID/USDA Program for Trade Capacity Building on

Sanitary & Phytosanitary Issues under CAFTA-DR

Establishing Priorities

1. Integrated SPS regulatory information systems

2. Upgrade laboratory infrastructure and analytical methods capability

3. Strengthen national WTO/SPS enquiry points

4. Develop animal health, inspection and sanitary standards for animal products

5. Risk Assessment methodologies and development of risk mitigation methods

6. Traceability

7. Coordination and participation in international standard–setting organizations

Priorities within the Priorities

• Each Country provided a list of their priorities within the 7 negotiated priorities.

• These were then reviewed with all U.S. Regulatory Agencies.

(FSIS, FDA, APHIS, EPA)

• This to establish which needs could provide market access the fastest.

Guatemala• Laboratories

– Training on proper technique for animal, plant and marine health.– Proper methodology for sampling gathering and handling.– Pesticide and herbicide residues.– Determination of aflatoxins– Techniques on polymer reactions.– Identifying viral inmunoflourescencia. – Elisa techniques for plant health matrixes.

• Traceability– Training for animal products and live animals.– Training for processed foods and by-products.

• Risk Assessment Methodologies– Training in disease risk assessment and methodology.– Risk assessment of foods.

• Animal Health, Inspection and Sanitary Standards– Inspection techniques – Training in surveillance of animal disease and plant health.– Designing contingency plans against the introduction of new pests or exotic animal disease.– Proper control campaigns for pest and animal disease.

• Coordination and Participation of International Standard Setting Organisms– Need for financial support in order to send participants.

• Integrated SPS Regulatory Information System– Guatemala has a mechanism to obtain all the information electronically, but needs setting up a server system that will provide access

to users.• National WTO/SPS Enquiry Points

– How to prepare a notification (regular and emergency).– What to notify?– When has a notification been accepted?– How to handle the documentation of the notification.– Reception of notifications from other countries.– How to formulate observations and comments.

• Function of the Enquiry Points.

El Salvador• Animal Health

– Swine production, disease and pathology

– Avian pathology

– Pasteurization methods

– Administration of industrial poultry waste

– Equivalence of Systems

• Laboratories

– Diagnose if swine viral diseases

• Classic Swine Fever

• African Swine Fever (AUJESKY)

• Reproductive Respiratory Syndrome

– Avian viral diseases

• AI

• Exotic New Castle

• Laryngotraquetis

• Low Pasteur Avian Syndrome

• Anemia

• Bronquitis

– Microbiological analysis and residuals on dairy and dairy products.

• Animal Epidemiology and Risk Analysis

• Integrated SPS regulatory information systems

• Strengthen national WTO/SPS enquiry points

• Coordination and participation in international organisms

Honduras • Training on prevention of exotic animal diseases such as BSE, Foot & Mouth and AI.• Training on risk analysis for animal diseases including detection and eradication.• Training to improve animal health surveillance and the appropriate level of inspection to

achieve equivalence. This would include the training the inspectors.• Dairy Training that includes pasteurization and training inspectors on proper inspection

techniques.• Training on Risk Analysis for processed foods to establish a food safety system.• HACCP Training for meat and poultry products to improve inspectors’ ability to carry

out their functions.• Training on ISO certification for the national laboratory on veterinary testing.• Train on modern techniques for pathogen detection in food products at the national

laboratories and improve capabilities to meet USDA and AOAC standards.• Training on Phytosanitary inspection of plant products. Should include proper

methodology for inspection, sampling, regulations, quarantine, pest management in the field and pest diagnostics.

• Training on proper handling of pesticides as part of a good agricultural practices program. This training should include toxicology on humans and impact on the environment, as well as proper administration of pesticide sales.

• Pest Risk Analysis training.

Nicaragua • Dairy Training that includes all FDA regulations on labeling, pasteurization, and HACCP. This course should include

both the public sector and private sector

• FDA to provide assessment of various dairy plants, including a review of what shape the plant is to pass an audit

• Equivalence Training. Provide equivalence training to MAGFOR and Health experts to write up an equivalence law for Nicaragua, as well continue the process of verifying the U.S. system

• HACCP training all 4 stages, for processed products that contain at least 3% meat product. Training for both public and private sector

• HACCP training for poultry industry, including all 4 stages to achieve equivalence parallel to solving avian disease issues with APHIS. Stages 1 and 2 open to both public and private. Stages 3 and 4 just public

• SPS inquiry points. Have an expert train MAGFOR on the process of proper notification to the WTO/SPS committee, as well as explain commitments and responsibilities of Nicaragua under the SPS agreement, and an overview of how said committee works

• GMO Training. Risk analysis and inspection capabilities. Rapid testing kits

• Provide training on Pest Risk Analysis (PRA’S) at the medium term

• Cochran program for any courses that are related to food safety that USDA felt was of high value to MAGFOR

• The situation with peanut exports was reviewed, but at this time there is need to do some research to establish the type of training needed.

Costa Rica• Strengthen the Clean Stock Program for Dracaena.

• Train MAG Inspectors. This should be accomplished by bringing a USDA expert on inspections to Costa Rica (for 2 weeks during first trimester of 2006)

• Follow up training at port of entry in the U.S. with product sent under CPS, (2 MAG inspectors for 5 days during the 4 trimester 2006)

• Strengthen the Greenhouse Tomatoes and Peppers Program

• Train personnel in Costa Rica on mitigating measures to be applied, (second trimester 2006)

• Risk Analysis on canned foods, (both animal and plant)

• Verification of Good Manufacturing Practices in general, inspection and verification and control of processed foods

• Training for the Information Centers on SPS & Technical Barriers to Trade.

Dominican Republic

• WTO Inquiry Points training• Administration of TRQ’s and Safeguards• Good Sanitary Practices for Dairy• Equivalence, Pre-inspection, and Inspector training• Poultry Surveillance Systems• Laboratory Assessment• Laboratory Training• Strengthen National Surveillance System• Meat Inspection and HACCP Training• Post Harvest Training• Heat Treatment for processed pork products• Food Safety Standards for US admissibility • Review of DR laws for meat inspection• Risk Assessment Training for Processed Foods• Review of US laws for meat slaughterhouses• Swine Surveillance Systems• FDA Labeling Laws• Phyto-Information System• Bovine Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication

Program Execution• In 2004, USAID and USDA signed an agreement to help the CAFTA-

DR countries overcome many SPS problems they had to access the US market

• The program started operating in 2005

• USAID has contributed over $4.4 million to this program

• USAID has also provided an additional $2.1 million to extend the program until September 30, 2010

• USDA has provided over $3 million in funding SPS capacity building for the CAFTA-DR countries since 2005

To date over 3000 persons have been trained

Examples of the Program

• Dairy

• Meat

• Peppers

Dairy• Courses on Good Dairy Sanitation at

the Farm (Good Milking Practices, Animal Health, Transportation, and Cleaning)

• Courses on Good Dairy Practices (HACCP for Dairy, Good Manufacturing Practices, Pasteurization, and Equipment)

Dairy Results• Nicaragua has gone from 3 plants exporting in 2005 to 16 in 2008

• Honduras has gone from 2 plants exporting in 2005 to 8 in 2008

• El Salvador had no plants exporting in 2005 and now has 4 approved in 2008.

• Total increase in Cheese exports from CA since 2005 is $6.7 million of new sales.

Cheese Exports to the U.S

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Meat

• Food Safety– Equivalence Courses – HACCP– Meat Inspection– Line Inspection Techniques– Good Manufacturing practices– Pre-Audits– Laboratory Testing and Sampling – US Regulations– Meat Cuts Training– Labeling

• Animal Health– Tuberculosis– Brucellosis– Animal Health Surveillance– Poultry Surveillance– Classic Swine Fever Diagnostics & Surveillance– Laboratory Diagnostics on Animal Diseases

Meat Results

• Nicaragua has five beef plants exporting to the U.S. as well as Asia

• Honduras has two beef plants exporting to the U.S. and one poultry plant exporting to Asia

• Guatemala will start exporting to the U.S. in early 2009

• Total new meat exports to the U.S. since 2005 is $58 million

Peppers

• Training of Pest Risk Assessment

• Plant Pest Diagnostic Training

• Mitigating Measures Training

• Container Inspection Training

• Port Visit

• Pesticide Residue Levels and Testing

Peppers Results• In 2005 total exports were only $126,000

• Since mid 2006 all of Central American Countries have exported $18 million of peppers to the United States

Peppers Exports to the U.S.

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Thank you

Daniel OrellanaRegional Coordinator for SPS & TCBTel: (502) 2422-4213Fax: (502) 2422-4589licorellana@yahoo.com Daniel.Orellana@usda.gov