Brasília, April 27, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - A mission composed of veterinary specialists from the European Union (EU) arrived yesterday (26) in Brazil to evaluate the conditions of the Brazilian herd and the country's beef production system. The specialists, who will remain in the country until May 6, plan to visit the installations of meat-packing industries licensed to export to the bloc, as well as border inspection stations and veterinary units in the states.
Sales of processed beef to the European bloc in the first quarter of this year amounted to US$ 40 million, as against US$ 32 million last year during the same period.
During their visit, the veterinarians will travel to 16 cities in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Rondônia. The EU team is expected to conclude its mission with a meeting in the Ministry of Agriculture, in Brasília, on May 6.
TRACKING
The European experts will also become acquainted with the new operational norms and procedures for tracking and identifying animals, adopted by the Brazilian System for the Identification and Certification of Bovine and Bubaline Origin (Sisbov), which has been in effect since the beginning of April. The new norms make it easier to operate the system and standardize the identification tag, as well as helping to fight diseases, increasing involvement by the states, and tracking animals from the time they are 40 days old.
Beginning December 31, 2004, all animals born to herds in areas that are free of hoof and mouth disease and states in the process of declaring that they are free of the disease should be included in the Sisbov, regardless of whether the animals are bred for export. The inclusion of animals born after this date should be effectuated by the time they are 90 days old. Beginning December 31, 2007, animals from other states should be incorporated into the system There are currently nearly 15 million animals that are part of the Sisbov. Tracking is a requirement imposed by the international cattle and beef market.
Translator: David Silberstein
