On August 8, the Colombian agriculture and livestock authority (ICA) confirmed the presence of tropical race 4 (TR4) in La Guajira, a coastal department in the northern part of the country. The next day, ICA declared a phytosanitary emergency. This marks the first official report of TR4 in Latin America.
Six farms have been quarantined and most of the plants on an area of 175 ha have been destroyed. The confirmation came after receiving positive results from samples analysed in the Netherlands.