. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/GEN/413
21 July 2003
(03-3908)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  Spanish
FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE
Statement by Paraguay in the Meeting of 24-25 June 2003
1. In the meeting of this Committee held on 7 and 8 November last year, Paraguay reported the
detection, on 31 October 2002, of the foot-and-mouth virus in two bovine animals out of a total of719 animals on a cattle ranch in the Department of Canindeyú, on the frontier with Brazil.  In order to
deal with this situation the National Animal Health  Service (SENACSA), which is responsible for the
control and eradication of foot-and-mouth disease in  our country, immediately activated the National
Sanitary Emergency System and inter alia  took the decision to slaughter all the animals involved at
the ranch in question.  Further details may be found in document G/SPS/GEN/360.
2. The above situation led to the almost immediate closure of the main export markets for meat
and meat products, which caused huge economic losses to the country.
3. For Paraguay, a developing, landlocked country, which is making considerable efforts to
integrate itself into the international trading system, exports of meat and meat products represent a
significant percentage of all its foreign trade, and it therefore attaches the greatest importance to thetotal eradication of the disease.  Accordingly, the official veterinary service has put in place a new
sanitary policy regime and introduced a number of measures, including the following:
(a) The adoption of a new vaccination strategy for 2003, involving two periods of
vaccination and providing for animal vaccinations to be carried out under a system of
animal health commissions made up of representatives of the public and private
sectors concerned.  In the first stage, the vaccination programme covers three
departments, some of which have borders with neighbouring countries.  For the restof the country, vaccination is carried out under the supervision of inspectors certified
by the official veterinary service;
(b) countrywide seroepidemiological sampling in  cattle, swine and sheep (approximately
35,000 animals),  and in wild animals susceptible to the disease;
(c) the signing of technical cooperation agreements with the official veterinary services
of Brazil and Argentina for joint operations, mainly in border areas;
(d) the organization of seminars/workshops involving producers, the processing industry,
related professionals and representatives of the public sector concerned.
4. It should be noted that since 31 October 2002, the date on which the above-mentioned case
was detected, no other instance of foot-and-mouth disease has been recorded anywhere in the territoryof the Republic of Paraguay;  this has led to the recovery of some export markets.G/SPS/GEN/413
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5. We believe that, given the strict measures adopted and applied throughout the country and the
current stable epidemiological situation, Paraguay w ill soon be able to regain its status as a "country
free from foot-and-mouth disease with vaccination".
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