Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

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Mexico and IICA intensify cooperation to control and eradicate the New World Screwworm

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.
  • The specialized organization in agricultural and rural development will expend significant financial resources to support actions to prevent and control the pest within Mexico.
  • IICA will continue collaborating with the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development and SENASICA within the framework of the global concept of “One Health”.
The intensified joint efforts between Mexico and IICA will have a considerable impact among other strategies and coordination of actions with Central American integration mechanisms.   

The Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) have expanded their already extensive joint work in the country to enhance the prevention and control of the New World Screwworm (NWS).

Given the challenge that the screwworm poses to livestock and the Mexican rural economy, Secretary Julio Berdegué Sacristán and IICA Director General, Manuel Otero, agreed to collaborate closely to reinforce actions to prevent and control the pest within Mexico.

As part of this agreement, the specialized international organization in agricultural and rural development will expend significant financial resources to support these actions.

These resources will bolster and complement the preventive efforts and programs of the National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) to eradicate the NWS. Likewise, they will reinforce the second livestock health inspection barrier, set up in the southern region of the country, specifically at the Federal Verification and Inspection Point (PVIF) in Cosamaloapan, Veracruz.  

Improvements will be made to the offloading and inspection bay at the facility and to the holding pens, where special equipment will also be supplied and installed.

The intensified joint efforts between Mexico and IICA will also have a significant impact on strategies and coordination of actions with Central American integration mechanisms, said IICA Director General, Manuel Otero.

The collaboration between IICA and Mexico enhances already ongoing efforts between both parties, the Central American countries and APHIS, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Moreover, IICA will continue to collaborate with the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development and SENASICA within the framework of the One Health concept, given the implications that this health situation could have on animal, human and environmental health.

The commitment is undertaken with the reciprocal understanding that synergy between international organizations, national authorities and the private sector is critical in tackling sanitary challenges and ensuring more widespread control of the pest, while moving towards its eradication in Mesoamerica, to assist the region in regaining the status it had maintained for more than two decades.

Moreover, measures and strategies could be replicated or adapted regionally, based on these experiences in Mexico.

Furthermore, through these actions, IICA is reaffirming its commitment to strengthening livestock production in the Americas and highlighting the importance of international cooperation to tackle the challenges facing the agriculture sector.

PHOTO: https://bit.ly/3Qb2ECF

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/FFg81826L6s

www.gob.mx/agricultura | www.iica.int

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