AETS has, for numerous years, been the leader of a consortium implementing the European Commission’s “Organisation and Implementation of Training Activities in Non-EU Countries to Improve and Strengthen the SPS Framework under the Better Training for Safer Food (BTSF) Initiative” project. The contract, which began in 2017 and should run for 48 months, aims to inform developing countries of the current standards related to food and feed safety, as well as plant health, that are required by the European Union (EU) in order for countries to be able to export their animal and plant products into the EU. These standards ensure that there is a high-level of animal, plant and human health, not only in the EU, but also in the developing countries which are trained and informed of the current high-standards in the EU and can then also apply them internally.
In the scope of the abovementioned contract, AETS and IICA organised a regional workshop from 4th – 7th of December 2018 in Lima, Peru, and focused specifically on the topic of Pesticide Use. The workshop’s objective was to inform selected Latin American countries of the manner in which the EU applies and enforces control on pesticide residues in conformity with the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement). The week-long workshop also dedicated time to the strategies for reducing the use of pesticides, such as Integrated Pest Management and Good Agricultural Practice. The workshop was attended by a total of 45 members of staff originating from the competent authorities of 12 Latin American countries. Activities included a practical visit to a farm implementing such good practices.