The General Audit Office (AGN, for its acronym in Spanish) analyzed the Federal System Control of Agrochemicals and Biological (SIFFAB) of the National Animal Health Service and Food Quality (SENASA) and has detected that does not have a record of the total businesses that sell this type product, so the agency is limited to control "the known establishments and leaves aside all the unidentified."

According to the report, adopted this year on data ranging from 2007 to 2011, the system -system SIFFAB, which controls the compliance of the products marketed, "has no registration of the universe of retailers businesses and warehouses of agrochemicals". AGN said that "insufficient coordination with provincial and municipal agencies with authority on the subject is noticed," and add that these entities "do not provide all this information to SENASA."

In addition, the SIFFAB saw reduced its inspection activities regarding the disposal of packaging of agrochemicals. In the first instance it had functions "control", but since 2007 its work became "development and dissemination" of good practice on disposal of residual waste and packaging, limited to the issuance of promotion and awareness workshops.

In addition, it has detected that "product samples taken in the inspections and sent for analysis to laboratories SENASA recorded delays in responses" and that there are "difficulties in access to the database of the regional centers the SIFFAB ". The latter, "causes inspectors to inspectors with outdated software, so errors when performing inspections can be generated."

The report from AGN argues that "it is essential that the State extreme control measures on agricultural chemicals at all stages" and that "permanent monitoring of food are made to detect the presence of residues, in order to ensure the health of the citizens".

Moreover, the agency analyzed the Control System of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (SICOFHOR) of SENASA, which performs a monitoring surveillance for the presence of pesticide residues and contaminants, using samples of products in orchards, wholesalers, etc.

From August 2009 to August 2010, 409 samples of products for domestic consumption and export were taken. In "55% of fruit and 34.8% of the vegetables the presence of pesticide residues was determined." While 96.7% of such waste "had concentrations within permitted limits," SENASA was detected that "products that are not authorized for cultivation in 87% of cases where they were found (that does not mean they are banned pesticides)."

From the universe of more than 100,000 producers and more than 100 species of fruits and vegetables, 22 species, including citrus fruits, stone fruit (cherries, plums), vegetables, garlic, onions, etc. were incorporated Of the total species, the SICOFHOR must identify the species, production area, producing firm, packing, that the label effectively matches the product, detect prohibited pesticides, etc. In relation to the last incorporated species, the AGN requested "maximizing the identification of products" with respect to these data.

How SENASA Controls

The SICOFHOR operates in 14 Regional Centers of SENASA. Since 2008 the program began to monitor the premises, but the report says that the SICOFHOR only visited half of the centers and also received "incomplete information". It is that they requested details on inspected establishments, breaches detected in these inspections, etc. and "not all centers responded," however, SENASA "did not requested rectifications or prepared a consolidated report all information received."

Moreover, according to the watchdog, "records are not open when surveillance actions are taken for detection of pesticide residues." Between January and August 2010, the Centers conducted 67 inspections under the SICOFHOR and "26 situations detection of pesticide residues only 4 files and only opened a case for breach violations were processed."

It is also insufficient the management control of centers, since they do not have an integrated and interconnected information system. The database is accessible solely SICOFHOR at the central level of SENASA.

On the Regional Center of Santa Fe, the AGN said that "the delay of delivery times of laboratory results, could involve the marketing of products that yield a detection of pesticide residues outside the norm." In addition, "lack of training inspectors and limited material resources for monitoring tasks (for example, insufficient number of conservative boxes for samples)" were observed.