The 36th Meeting of the Southern Agricultural Council (XXXVI RO CAS) took place over two days in Buenos Aires, with the participation of the Secretary of Agroindustry of Argentina, Luis Miguel Etchevehere, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply of Brazil, Blairo Maggi, the Minister of Agriculture of Chile, Antonio Walker, the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Paraguay, Denis Lichi, and the Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of Uruguay, Enzo Benech. The authorities worked on different topics of interest for the agricultural development of the region.
The inauguration and welcome were given by the Secretary of Agroindustry of Argentina, Luis Miguel Etchevehere, also president pro tempore of CAS. The authorities passed on the conclusions of the 35th CAS Meeting, on May 3 and 4 in Asunción, Paraguay, held by the CAS Technical Secretariat.
During the first day of ministerial dialogue, the analysis, discussion and approval of different ministerial declarations on topics such as regulatory convergence, access to markets for Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), gene editing, the joint approach to limits maximum limits for waste, among others. Then, the reports were presented, requested at the 35th CAS Meeting and prepared by the Agricultural Policy Coordination Network (Redpa) and the CAS Technical-Administrative Secretariat (STA CAS).
Technical Group 5, Public Policies in Biotechnology (GT5 CAS), shared the work on opening biotechnology events in the region, such as GMO and New Breeding Techniques (NBT), to third markets.
Subsequently, the ministers discussed different topics, including critical points and barriers to the free movement of goods at an intra-regional level, the examination of molecules authorized by countries and the conditions for using agrochemicals. Also covered were the examination of the region's maximum residue limit and an examination of the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) manuals, the situation of Foot and Mouth Disease in the region and the situation of the countries regarding antimicrobial resistance.
In this last topic, the Permanent Veterinary Committee of the Southern Cone (CVP) participated, through the presence of the Animal Health director of Senasag (Bolivia), who represented the president pro tempore of the CVP.
Following the ministerial discussion on the international situation of beekeeping production and the marketing of its products, which are key problems in the sector, it was decided to create an ad hoc honey group.
The Cooperative Program for Agro-food and Agro-industrial Development of the Southern Cone (Procisul) made a presentation about its different relationship projects with CAS. One of the representatives of the Steering Committee of the Plant Health Committee (Cosave), presented the 2018-2028 strategic lines and the main advances made to date.
Next, international cooperation between CAS and international organizations was analyzed. Firstly, with IICA, represented by its general director, Manuel Otero, who shared the institute's different lines regarding technical cooperation. Secondly, with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), represented by the Food Systems policy officer, who presented FAO's activity in relation to CAS priorities.
On the second day of ministerial dialogue, there was an exchange of views with the private sector. Firstly, we worked with the Federation of Rural Associations of Mercosul (Farm), represented by its president pro tempore and its secretary. Both explained the organization's vision on various topics of agricultural interest to the region.
Next, the Secretary of Management and Finance of the Confederation of Family Producer Organizations of Expanded Mercosul (Coprofam) explained his stance on the participation of family farming organizations in trade negotiations and the adoption of measures so that family producers can apply standards that do not affect the competitiveness of large producers. Finally, there was a specialized meeting on Mercosur Family Agriculture (Reaf) and Punto Focal on the advances made in the area of security and those that will be discussed at the next meeting.
CAS ministers decided to create an ad hoc group on associations to address the reality of small producers in the region and the association's potential for them to grow.
According to Alejandra Sarquis, IICA representative in Uruguay and technical secretary of the CAS, “this meeting has a positive balance due to the topics discussed and the agreements reached, which come from the work designated by the ministers." "This is a milestone in the region in terms of topics such as regulatory convergence, access to GMO markets, gene editing, the joint approach to maximum residue limits, among others", he added.
At the end of the 36th CAS Meeting, an extraordinary ministerial meeting was scheduled for the end of November with the aim of advancing the commitments made. In particular, in resolving critical border points.
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