Agriculture Ministry demands reinstatement as approved animal-product exporter
Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture has hardened its tone toward the European Union, calling it “unacceptable” for the bloc to require advance proof that Brazil controls antimicrobial use throughout the entire lives of animals whose meat will be exported to EU countries. In a statement , the ministry demanded that Brazil be reinstated on the list of countries authorized to export animal products to the bloc.
Meat-industry sources interpreted the statement as the government arguing that reinstatement should occur regardless of whether Brazil has products that comply with the rules by September, when the restriction takes effect. The position also reinforced the view that the ministry will not ban antimicrobial use nationwide, as poultry and beef processors had requested.
The Agriculture Ministry recently adopted full-life-cycle monitoring of antimicrobial use across different production chains. In the beef industry, for example, certifying cattle as free from substances prohibited by the EU could take at least two years. In poultry production, the process is faster, at approximately 40 days.
“Brazil supports maintaining this system and considers it unacceptable to require advance proof that measures have been fully implemented when their execution occurs progressively over the course of production cycles,” the ministry added in the statement.
The Agriculture Ministry also noted that “international relations on sanitary matters are structured around a fundamental principle: trust and transparency between the competent authorities.” It added that international recognition of official sanitary-control systems “is based on a country’s demonstrated capacity to establish rules, enforce compliance, adopt corrective measures—when necessary—and credibly certify products that meet the requirements and measures agreed bilaterally.”
In addition to defending Brazil’s control system, the ministry said it remains engaged in technical discussions with the EU concerning the sanitary requirements governing antimicrobial use in animal production.
According to the government, Brazil has not asked the bloc to relax its sanitary rules to preserve animal-product exports and remains fully committed to meeting the requirements established by importing markets.
Two meat-industry sources said the message to European authorities is that Brazil will not accept having the credibility of its sanitary system called into question during the dispute.
In its statement, the Agriculture Ministry argued that “the system’s credibility lies precisely in the competent authority’s ability to prevent the certification of products that do not yet meet the applicable requirements.”
The ministry, headed by André de Paula, also emphasized that the government assurances provided by Brazil “concern the reliability of the official inspection and certification system, while the availability of eligible products results from implementing those assurances throughout the respective production cycles. These are distinct and complementary aspects of the process of complying with sanitary requirements.”
The ministry said documents sent to the European Union detail official inspection mechanisms and control guarantees for the beef, poultry, egg, honey, and fishery-product supply chains. According to the ministry, Brazil’s system ensures “verification of implementation, inspection, traceability, monitoring, and certification of compliance with the sanitary requirements established by the EU.”
In May, the European Commission announced that Brazil would be removed from the list of countries authorized to export animal products to the bloc beginning September 3, citing failures to prove that antimicrobials were not being used in Brazilian production chains.
The meatpacking industry called for a nationwide ban on antimicrobials to signal to the EU that Brazil would ensure supplies of meat and related products made without the substances. Producers, however, said a ban could increase feed and medication costs.
*By Rafael Walendorff — Brasília
Source: Valor International
https://valorinternational.globo.com/