United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
International Services (IS)
South American Region (SAR)
La Plata Area: Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay
Area Director: Kelan Evans
2089 Juramento
Buenos Aires, Argentina
The APHIS office is located in the US Embassy in Montevideo
and is staffed by Ricardo Romero, APHIS Agricultural Scientist.
The mission of APHIS is:
To protect America's animal and plant resources by:
- Safeguarding resources from exotic invasive pests and diseases,
- Monitoring and managing agricultural pests and diseases existing in
the United States, and
- Resolving and managing trade issues related to animal or plant health
The primary functions of APHIS South America Region are to:
1) facilitate fair and science-based trade between South America and
the US through sanitary and phytosanitary technical negotiations and
participation in international trade organizations, and
2) protect US agriculture against exotic plant and animal pests and
diseases by
a) conducting preclearance programs in South America for agricultural
products destined for the US,
b) partnering with countries in South America in bilateral commissions
and field programs for the control of exotic pests and diseases, and
c) participating in international organizations for the control of plant
and animal pests and diseases. With the signing of the General Agreement
of Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which mandated the reduction of tariffs
and quotas, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) technical negotiations
have become much more significant as possible barriers to trade. APHIS
is the US agency with the technical qualifications to participate in
SPS negotiations
The APHIS office also handles issues such as:
- traveling with pets
- questions regarding the import or export of agricultural products
- negotiations of sanitary health requirements for the importation and
exportation of agricultural products
- information exchange on animal diseases of international concern
For more information about APHIS please visit our website at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov
