US embassy cable - 05SANTODOMINGO2797

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SANTO DOMINGO 002797 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT TO RON DEHAVEN, USDA/APHIS, WASHINGTON, DC 
DEPT TO ANGEL CIELO, USDA/APHIS/IS, PANAMA 
DEPT TO DAN SHEESLEY, USDA/APHIS/IS, WASHINGTON, DC 
DEPT TO CRAIG FEDCHOCK, USTR, WASHINGTON, DC 
DEPT ANTONIO RAMIREZ, USDA/APHIS/VS, RIVERDALE, MD 
DEPT CATHERINE FULTON, USDA/APHIS/IS/TST, WASHINGTON DC 
DEPT TO USTR FOR VARGO, MALITO, JOHNSON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, ECON 
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: RENEWAL OF USDA/SEA 
COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT 
 
 1.  Summary.  On April 26, 2005, USDA renewed their 
bilateral Cooperative Agreement with the Dominican Republic 
(DR) Department of Agriculture (SEA) for a second five-year 
period. This is the second USDA Bilateral Agreement signed by 
the Fernandez Administration.  The purpose of the Cooperative 
Agreement is to strengthen technical cooperation, especially 
on animal and plant health programs.  The impetus was the 
outbreak of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) in the DR 1997, 
endangering the Nation,s food security, including the 
multi-billion dollar U.S. pork industry, with 600,000 jobs, 
and the pork and pork product export market valued at more 
than $1 billion.  The Ambassador met with the DR Secretary of 
Agriculture prior to the ceremony, and answered press 
inquiries afterwards.  End Summary. 
 
2.  On April 26, 2005, USDA renewed their bilateral 
Cooperative Agreement with the Dominican Republic (DR) 
Department of Agriculture (SEA).  The original agreement had 
been signed in Washington, DC on April 27, 2000 and covered a 
five-year period thereafter.  Agriculture Secretary Amilcar 
Romero signed for the Dominican government.  APHIS Associate 
Administrator Dr. Peter Fernandez signed for USDA Secretary 
of Agriculture Mike Johanns.  The Ambassador was also 
present.  All three made brief remarks during the signing 
ceremony.  This is the second Bilateral Agreement signed by 
the Fernandez Administration, the first being the 
&McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child 
Nutrition Program8, signed by President Leonel Fernandez and 
Secretary of Agriculture Ann Venneman on August 17, the 
 
SIPDIS 
morning after Fernandez, inauguration. 
 
Background 
---------- 
3.  The purpose of the Cooperative Agreement is to strengthen 
technical cooperation, especially on animal and plant health 
programs.  The impetus was the outbreak of Classical Swine 
Fever (CSF) in the Dominican Republic in 1997, having spread 
from Haiti, where it was first detected in 1996.  APHIS 
determined that it needed to respond to the CSF risk from the 
island of Hispaniola with the ultimate aim of preventing the 
disease from reaching the United States.  Mitigating the CSF 
risk would serve to: (1) protect the multi-billion dollar 
U.S. pork industry, including 600,000 jobs, and (2) to 
maintain the Nation,s food security and the pork and pork 
product export market valued at more than $1 billion. 
 
4.  The first Cooperative Agreement entailed two objectives. 
The first objective was to provide technical assistance in 
helping the Dominican Republic strengthen and streamline 
their quarantine services in order to build a stronger animal 
and plant health infrastructure.  The second objective 
included development of the Passenger Predeparture Inspection 
Programs (PPIP) at the international airports and ferry 
terminal.  Under the renewed agreement, the USDA will 
continue plant and animal health initiatives begun during the 
past five years, and also provide additional training and 
support in the area of animal disease diagnostic laboratories. 
 
5.  Both the new and old agreements allow USDA to transfer 
funds to the GODR for these programs, which also include a 
component to modernize the animal health and quarantine 
system to prevent future outbreaks of foreign animal 
diseases.  APHIS has already spent millions of dollars 
responding to the CSF outbreak, participating in the 
multi-national eradication effort.  The yearly budget for 
PPIP averages $850,000.  APHIS funds are placed in the SEA 
account to pay the salaries of the SEA-PPIP inspectors who 
perform the inspections.  APHIS has also purchased X-Ray 
machines, computers, office equipment and furniture for the 
offices and uniforms and badges for the inspectorate.  CSF 
eradication funds have purchased vaccine, and provided 
computers, field equipment, motorcycles and vehicles. 
Training and upgrading of veterinary laboratories are other 
areas where USDA funding is improving the animal and plant 
health infrastructure of the DR. 
 
6.  The Dominican government in particular has made strides 
in eradication, with ongoing support from the public and 
private sectors.  With international assistance, Haiti has 
also begun to tackle the CSF outbreak there.  The two 
countries must both complete the eradication for the program 
to be successful.  Because of these efforts, APHIS has built 
important relationships with the Ministries of Agriculture in 
the DR and Haiti. 
 
Side Meeting 
------------ 
7.  Before the Signing Ceremony the Ambassador, DCM Lisa 
Kubiske, and APHIS Attache Carolyn Cohen met briefly with 
Secretary Romero, several Under Secretaries and a 
 
SIPDIS 
representative of Banco Agricola.  The Secretary raised 
several issues with the Ambassador.  After some general 
remarks about CAFTA and agricultural trade, he spoke about 
the DR,s desire to export beef products to the United 
States.  (Currently, the DR cannot export meat products to 
the United States because slaughter houses do not meet US 
federal requirements for sanitation, nor is their Meat 
Inspection Program implemented with equivalently rigorous 
standards as for the USDA,s Food Safety and Inspection 
Service (FSIS).  A visit by FSIS last year highlighted areas 
of weakness.)  The Secretary expressed hopes that a second 
visit by FSIS later in the year would lead to a determination 
of equivalency, allowing exports.  The Secretary expressed 
interest in starting a Commodity Preclearance Program for 
export of avocados (and possibly other fruits and vegetables) 
to the United States.  Attache Cohen mentioned that 
preclearance was expensive and not required for commodities 
that are already being shipped successfully, entering at U.S. 
Ports of Entry with visual inspection, but she promised to 
discuss the proposal with SEA,s Plant Health staff.  Other 
topics touched upon briefly included closer cooperation on 
veterinary laboratories, the Secretary,s planned visit to 
Chile in May, and the CSF eradication efforts. 
 
Press Questions 
--------------- 
8.  In the post-signing question-and-answer period with the 
press,  the Ambassador answered a question about  USDA 
restrictions, on imports of avocados.  He explained that the 
United States has not changed its system of agricultural 
marketing and that Dominican exporters are subject to the 
same restrictions as U.S. producers.  Dr. Fernandez answered 
a question regarding funding for the Cooperative Agreement, 
explaining that funding is dependent on Congressional 
allocations to APHIS. 
HERTELL