The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in collaboration with key partners, has launched a guide aimed at ensuring the safety of dairy products while facilitating trade within the Central American dairy industry. A press release from IICA states that this is part of an ongoing effort to boost the competitiveness and sustainability of the sector.
The guide, titled “Lineamientos técnicos para fortalecer el diseño y la implementación de programas nacionales basados en riesgo para la vigilancia de residuos y contaminantes en la leche” (available in Spanish), offers critical general guidelines to fortify the design and execution of national risk-based surveillance programs for residues and contaminants in raw milk. This document will be made accessible to the countries within the region, serving as a pivotal resource for improving food safety standards.
IICA developed this publication in partnership with the Central American Dairy Federation (FECALAC) and the Executive Secretariat of the Central American Agricultural Council (SECAC). The guidelines were formulated through collaborative efforts that involved contributions from public and private sector representatives during national and regional discussion forums, supported by specialists from IICA and external collaborators.
The official presentation of the guide took place during the FECALAC Regular Meeting, hosted in San Salvador. This event attracted attendees from various sectors, including public sector representatives, the AD Hoc Dairy Group, the CAC’s Competitiveness, Trade and Agribusiness Technical Group, FECALAC, and national dairy sector organizations, among others.
At the opening of the hybrid event—held both in-person and virtually—Erick Quirós, IICA Representative in El Salvador and Special Affairs Coordinator for the Central Region, emphasized the importance of the project.
He remarked,“ This project clearly demonstrates the work that IICA continues to carry out with its partners to support the countries and production sectors, to contribute to the competitiveness and sustainability of the Central American dairy sector.”
Quirós also noted several challenges ahead, including a growing population, extreme climate phenomena, and animal diseases such as the New World screwworm in cattle, stating that through various technical cooperation projects, IICA aims to enhance national capacities to confront these issues.
Héctor Ferreira, President of FECALAC, acknowledged the significance of the guide for the dairy sector, expressing gratitude to IICA and other contributors for producing a resource “a publication that will be very useful for guaranteeing healthy and high-quality food for the population and for identifying new markets in the world”.
Additionally, Lucrecia Rodríguez, Executive Secretary of the Central American Agricultural Council—a body of the Central American Integration System (SICA) comprising the agriculture ministers of Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama—underscored the collective efforts within the sector. She stated, “This guide, with its evidence-based conclusions, is a fundamental step in guaranteeing the safety of milk and dairy products. It will facilitate both regional and international trade”
Alejandra Díaz, a Specialist from IICA’s Agricultural Health, Safety and Food Quality (AHFS) Program, provided further insights into the contents of the document.
