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
