In order to improve the sector's production management and guarantee safe pork trade, the Guatemalan government is moving forward with the implementation of the Official Pork Traceability Program.
The program, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (Maga), consists of placing radiofrequency button-type and flag-type devices for breeding animals.
The protocol allowing Guatemalan companies to sell live cattle in the neighboring country will come into effect on December 15, 2019.
After the negotiation process between Mexican and Guatemalan authorities has concluded and the sanitary regulations for the entry of animals have been approved, the Central American country has the green light to start selling live cattle.
Central American countries face the challenge of improving their production techniques in order to increase quality and take advantage of the opportunity that exists in the European market.
Elnuevodiario.com.ni reports that"...According to the most recent European statistics of 2015, the consumption of organic products in the European Union (EU) was 28.3 billion euros in that year. 70% of this expenditure came from four countries: Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. However, those adding the most of these types of products into their shopping baskets are the Danish (8.4% of their purchases), Austrians (8%) and Swedes (7.7%), according to data from the same year.
The government is preparing a registration system that requires pork producers to mark their pigs in order to combat smuggling through the use of phytosanitary and traceability controls.
The aim is to have the agreement in late January, which would start with 88 producers enrolled in the Association of Pork Producers of Guatemala (APOGUA), in order to have an animal traceability system, prevent the illegal entry of pigs and prevent arrival of illnesses from Mexico.
As part of a strategy to position internationally cocoa produced in Guatemala the regional union of producers are working on a seal of origin and traceability.
The initiative by the Mesoamerican Organization of Cocoa and Fine Chocolate (Amacacao) is to create a mechanism to certify the origin, quality and traceability of the final product, in order to increase international positioning and increase exports.
The high demands for quality standards, traceability and safety constitute a barrier to making the most out of the Agreement.
In the view of representatives from the Nicaraguan export sector, it has not been possible to make the most out of the association agreement with the European Union in its first two years, due to, among other things, unfavorable international prices, as has been the case of products such as sugar, coffee , cocoa, oil and alcohol.
When selecting products UK consumers pay more attention to taste, freshness, traceability and packaging rather than the price factor.
From a statement from the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
Buyers' needs are changing in the UK and a representative of the supermarket giant Tesco believes that retailers must understand the new opportunities that this implies.
An announcement has been made that all animals born after 2015 must be registered so that, by 2020, the herd can be incorporated into the regional traceability system.
Cattle traceability was approved in March 2013 by the Central American countries and the Dominican Republic and aims to make known the "history" of all cattle, from birth to arrival at the slaughterhouse.
Modernization of production systems and the launch of an electronic traceability system are part of the initiatives being taken by the Government to revive the sector.
The Government of Guatemala has presented guidelines of the policy it intends to implement to encourage the development of farming in the country.
One of the "pillars" of the policy is the modernization of the production system, "...
Videoconferencing on Friday March 7, 2014 on the "Proposed FDA regulations on the deliberate adulteration of food and on sanitary transportation".
In order to facilitate awareness in government officials, the Guatemalan private sector and technical staff at the Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), about the promulgation of the new FDA regulations, the IICAA together with the Agricultural Sector at AGEXPORT will hold on Friday 7 March 2014, a video conference entitled "Proposed FDA regulations on the deliberate adulteration of food and sanitary transportation.
The National Livestock Traceability System created by the Ministry of Livestock will come into effect in March.
Starting Saturday the 1st. March the National Livestock Traceability System will come into a effect in Guatemala. It is a system created by the Ministry of Agriculture in order to contribute to food security, compliance with sanitary measures and laws at national and international level.
In the Netherlands new labeling will give information on the geographical origin of perishable goods and the conditions under which it has been handled, stored and transported.
From an article by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
A new sensor based label will allow, among other benefits, reduction of the risk of pesticide residues found in fruits and vegetables.
In order to export food to the EU companies must establish efficient processes for traceability, product withdrawal and recovery.
This was explained Valentin Diaz, a specialist from the European Union in Nicaragua who gave a workshop entitled "Trainer of trainers in traceability, withdrawal and recall of products, aimed at the food industry."
Taiwan's embassy in Guatemala has announced a program to assist exporters to certify their products.
An article in Prensalibre.com reports that "Adolfo Sun, Ambassador of Taiwan, said the first sector to benefit will be meat producers, so that they can certify their production and enter the Asian market."
As well as meant there are also plans to promote technical assistance to comply with the certifications for other food products and manufactured products, adapting products to suit cultural differences and increase the country's sales in Asia.
A voluntary agreement is already underway with the European Union to reduce trade in timber goods made from illegal logging.
The first round of negotiations have been conducted on a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU, and the FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) in order to reduce trade in manufactured goods made from illegal timber logging.