A delegation from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Environment of the State of Qatar verified from October 5 to 11 equine production establishments authorized by the National Service of Health and Agri-Food Quality (Senasa) located in the province of Buenos Aires, and signed the agreement with Argentine health authorities for the trade of semen and live horses.
After the final meeting with the authorities of the Asian country, which took place at the headquarters of Senasa, its president, Ricardo Negri explained that "We have just signed an agreement with Qatar to export semen and live horses, especially sports horses, which creates a great opportunity for Argentina. Qatar is a country with a lot of horse racing activity and what we want is for it to become a logistics hub so that it can supply other countries in Southeast Asia from there.".
"Every time a sport horse is exported, beyond blood and genetics, there is a lot of work, knowledge, affection and Argentine cultural knowledge involved. The role of Senasa is fundamental since we are responsible for certifying that the horse leaving Argentina has all the necessary sanitary conditions so as not to infect other horses., in addition to guaranteeing the entire animal welfare process”, Negri said.
The head of Senasa stated that “Today we finished one part, which is the negotiations, but now comes the part in which we generate employment, and having achieved another market opening for Argentina, makes me proud of the work we do at Senasa.".
For his part, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Luis Etchevehere, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Qatari delegates to strengthen bilateral ties and establish a general framework for cooperation in the agricultural and agro-industrial sectors, including technological innovation and rural development, stated that "The level of trade in our agro-industrial sector with Qatar has a high potential that we have not yet explored. This is a first step in the right direction to strengthen mutual understanding and trust.».
During the visit, accompanied by Senasa professionals, the auditors of the Middle Eastern country, Dafi Naser Al-Haidan and Hussain Jobran Al-Yahri, inspected the places where export/import quarantines of live animals are carried out. The delegation toured a center for the production of equine semen and embryos in Lincoln and, on successive days, visited two establishments for the production of polo horses in Luján, one in General Rodríguez and another in Pilar.
Following the official presentation of the Laboratory's activities by its authorities and the tour of the facilities, the Qatari delegation explained the diagnoses requested in its health protocol and were informed about the Laboratory Network owned by Senasa, especially its technical and professional quality.
According to the agreement, the diagnoses will be carried out only in the Martínez Laboratory and will include analyses for equine infectious anaemia, equine viral arteritis, vesicular stomatitis, piroplasmosis, dourine and glanders. The Equine and Exotic Diseases departments of the Virology and Bacteriology coordinations, respectively, of the Senasa Laboratory will be involved in this task.
This agreement highlights the functions of the Senasa Laboratory, which has the analytical capabilities to meet the requirements of Qatar and preserve health and trade ties.
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