Lourenço Melo
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília - Yesterday (17), the mission from the Chinese Ministry of Quarantine that is in Brazil met with technical personnel from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply to discuss details of the certification and inspection of products of animal origin imported by that country. The Chinese, who will remain in Brazil until January 27, will visit states that produce chicken and beef to select among Brazilian export firms those that comply with the sanitary norms prescribed by their country.

The visits, accompanied by Brazilian technicians, begin today in Rio Verde, in the state of Goiás. From there they will proceed to the states of Paraná and São Paulo. The final meeting will be held in the capital of São Paulo at the Ministry's regional offices. During yesterday's meeting, the Chinese were informed about Brazilian disease control programs.

In Beijing a mission of Brazilian technicians is discussing the concentration of solvents, particularly hexane, used in the manufacture of soy oil exported by Brazil. China insists on a maximum of 100 milligrams of solvent per kilo of oil, and this may prove detrimental to Brazilian exports.

According to the head of the Division of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreements of the Ministry of Agriculture, Odilson Ribeiro, Brazil exports crude oil; therefore, the concentration of hexane is around 600 milligrams per kilo. Nevertheless, he explains, the product is only consumed after it is refined, and the concentration of solvents is reduced during this phase.

The Brazilian mission, which ends on January 21, will also discuss the tolerance limits for pesticide residues in soybeans and the text of the Chinese government's Circular 73, which requires soybean exporters and importers to sign a term of responsibility in which they acknowledge that they are familiar with all of China's laws concerning this matter.

Translation: David Silberstein