Mexico Celebrates 50 Years Advancing Animal Health, Food Safety

Mexico’s National Reference Center for Animal Parasitology and Analytical Technology (CENAPA) celebrates its 50th anniversary highlighting its role as a key institution in diagnosing and controlling animal diseases and ensuring agro-food safety.

CENAPA is recognized nationally and internationally for its work on economically significant pests such as the tick cattle grub. It also tests for toxic residues in animal-derived foods and analyzes biological product effectiveness, making it a cornerstone of Mexico’s food safety system.

Javier Calderón, Director General, National Service of Health, Safety and Agro-Food Quality (SENASICA), highlights the center’s strategic role in preserving animal health, accessing demanding global markets, and supplying safe animal protein to Mexicans. He says that CENAPA’s infrastructure, human capital, and history position as a national and global reference in diagnostics, production of biological reference materials, and proficiency testing.

The center plays a critical role in the campaign against cattle grub by analyzing real-time images through telediagnosis, working around the clock to process samples within two hours of arrival, in accordance with its emergency procedures manual.