Convergence and Asymmetry in Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures in the Region's Trade Agreements

Sanitary and phytosanitary matters have acquired greater significance in the region's trade, as reflected in the significant number of complaints brought before the various dispute settlement mechanisms pertaining to the regional integration schemes. This may be attributed to the importance of the Latin American countries in world agricultural trade and to different phytosanitary and zoosanitary standards required by each. Given the multiplication of bilateral and plurilateral agreements in Latin America and the Caribbean, convergence on the sanitary standards required under such accords is crucial for the trade integration of a region that is an agro-exporter par excellence. Convergence is essential to facilitate market access and expedite trade flows. This bulletin assesses convergence of standards in the bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements signed by the countries of the region, the treatment afforded to the principles contained in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) and the progress the region has made relative to that Agreement.

Sanitary quality of the public groundwater supply for the municipality of Belém in northern Brazil

Neste estudo, a qualidade da água foi verificada no manancial de abastecimento Água Preta, do município de Belém (PA). Houve seis amostragens em seis pontos de coleta e a concentração de coliformes foi verificada através da Técnica de Fermentação em Tubos Múltiplos para a determinação do NMP. Os isolados de Escherichia coli obtidos foram submetidos ao teste de sensibilidade aos seguintes antimicrobianos: cefoxitina, ampicilina, imipenem, gentamicina e amicacina. Além disso, foi investigado genes codificadores de fatores de virulência relacionados às variedades diarreiogênicas de E. coli. Não houve ocorrência de genes relacionados à patogenicidade, e as concentrações de coliformes termotolerantes apresentaram-se dentro dos padrões para mananciais de superfície usados para fins de abastecimento público. Contudo, as maiores concentrações de coliformes totais e termotolerantes foram observadas no ponto de coleta próximo à captação no rio Guamá e na área de maior adensamento populacional no entorno do lago. O teste de suscetibilidade dos isolados E. coli indicou uma alta porcentagem de resistência a ampicilina, a presença de seis perfis fenotípicos e a ocorrência de multiresistência. Assim, os resultados reforçam a necessidade do monitoramento sistemático deste manancial, visando a implementação de políticas de preservação e proteção dos mananciais utilizados para fins de abastecimento público, assim como a prevenção de doenças veiculadas pela água.

Outcome of the agrarian reform in Brazil during the last two decades

The agrarian reform allows for land redistribution and gives rural workers the opportunity to develop their life projects, rescuing the dignity of a historically excluded population. The conquest of the land carries significances that span from the rescue of citizenship to the improvement of living conditions due to the acquisition of goods, products and services. It is pointed out that in Brazil there still exists a marked concentration of large-landed estates. In this sense, this work had the objective of analyzing the Brazilian agrarian reform process during the last two decades. In this period the country had three Presidents, two of them elected with the support of the Rural Landless Workers Movement, increasing the expectations in relation to the fulfillment of the agrarian reform. The advances in the policies of rural settlements are notable; however, the structure of large-land estates remains unaltered. In the last two years (2011 and 2012) the number of settled families, as well as the number of settlements accomplished, were the worst since 2006. The priority of the current government is the eradication of extreme poverty and, in this sense, the agrarian reform becomes an essential policy to contribute to such goal, since with the distribution of the property of the land also diminishes the concentration of wealth.

Evaluation of the relationship between education and sustainability in peasant movements: The experience of the National Education Program in Agrarian Reform

Brazil is one of the largest agricultural producers in the world. However, its agrarian composition is based on two markedly different production models, particularly in relation to sustainability: a peasant family agriculture, which plays an important role in food production for domestic consumption and advocates agro-ecological practises; and agribusiness, the politically and economically hegemonic model that produces commodities for export based on monoculture and intensive use of pesticides. Therefore, in order to create the means to develop peasant lands, social movements and peasants have engaged themselves politically and defended an education model grounded in sustainable practises of production and social organisation. Taking this into account, the main purpose of this paper is to analyse and assess the Brazilian experience of integration between education and sustainability, in the National Education Program in Agrarian Reform (PRONERA). To accomplish this aim, a survey with a semi-structured questionnaire was carried out among teachers, students, monitors, and coordinators of the course offered by PRONERA. The surveys showed that the courses are promoting the concepts of sustainability among peasants. However, many adjustments need to be taken into consideration during the planning process for the next courses offered by PRONERA.

Digestible lysine levels in diets for pigs from 24 to 50 kg under sanitary segregation

This study evaluated the relationship between digestible lysine and metabolizable energy for barrow and gilts from 24 to 50 kg. Performance, digestibility and blood profile were studied. The experimental design was of randomized blocks, with five treatments, eight replicates and two animals per experimental unit in the performance assay and four replicates and one animal per experimental unit in the digestibility assay. The blood profile was chosen at 20 random animals of each sex, with four replicates per treatment and the animal as experimental unit. The treatments were 0.80, 0.90, 1.00, 1.10 and 1.20% digestible lysine. There was a linear effect of lysine levels on weight gain and feed conversion in females and crude protein in both sexes, gross energy excreted in the urine (kcal) and digestible energy (kcal). A quadratic effect of the amino acid studied in the daily consumption of crude protein (g) in both sexes, weight gain and feed conversion of barrows, as well as the nitrogen excreted in the urine (g) and nitrogen retained, and absorbed and retained. The relationship between neutrophils and lymphocytes had quadratic responses with increasing levels of lysine. The maximum performance for the studied genotype was obtained with 0.88 and 0.91% of digestible lysine or 2.60 and 2.67 g of digestible lysine/Mcal of metabolizable energy for females and barrows, respectively, corrected for digestibility trial.

Electroconvulsive Therapy in Brazil After the "Psychiatric Reform" A Public Health Problem-Example From a University Service

Objectives: The Brazilian public health system does not provide electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which is limited to a few academic services. National mental health policies are against ECT. Our objectives were to analyze critically the public policies toward ECT and present the current situation using statistics from the Institute of Psychiatry of the University of Sao Paulo (IPq-HCFMUSP) and summary data from the other 13 ECT services identified in the country. Methods: Data regarding ECT treatment at the IPq-HCFMUSP were collected from January 2009 to June 2010 (demographical, number of sessions, and diagnoses). All the data were analyzed using SPSS 19, Epic Info 2000, and Excel. Results: During this period, 331 patients were treated at IPq-HCFMUSP: 221 (67%) were from Sao Paulo city, 50 (15.2%) from Sao Paulo's metropolitan area, 39 (11.8%) from Sao Paulo's countryside, and 20 (6.1%) from other states; 7352 ECT treatments were delivered-63.0% (4629) devoted entirely via the public health system (although not funded by the federal government); the main diagnoses were a mood disorder in 86.4% and schizophrenia in 7.3% of the cases. Conclusions: There is an important lack of public assistance for ECT, affecting mainly the poor and severely ill patients. The university services are overcrowded and cannot handle all the referrals. The authors press for changes in the mental health policies.

Environmental management reform for sustainable farming, fisheries and aquaculture: state of the art review

FOOD-CT-2007-036298: AquAgriS. Project co-funded by the European Commission within the Sixth Framework (2002-2006)