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The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) published Normative Instruction No. 52 in the Official Gazette on August 14. It recognizes the states of Acre, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Rondônia as free of FMD without vaccination. The regions of Amazonas (Apuí, Boca do Acre, Canutama, Eirunepé, Envira, Guajará, Humaitá, Itamarati, Ipixuna, Lábrea, Manicoré, Novo Aripuanã, Pauini and part of the municipality of Tapauá) and Mato Grosso, composed of the municipality of Rondolândia and parts of Aripuanã, Colniza, Comodoro and Juína were also recognized.
To achieve the new health status, the states and regions met basic requirements, such as improving official veterinary services and implementing a structured program to maintain disease free status, among others, in line with the guidelines set out by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in the Terrestrial Animal Health Code.
With national recognition, Minister Tereza Cristina stresses that states will have the opportunity to expand their participation in the international market. "More than 40 million heads will be ready for export to more stricter markets. Brazil is already free of foot-and-mouth disease with vaccination, but these areas will be free without vaccination. This should improve the value of products from these places to export to markets such as Japan and South Korea, which have stricter requirements and do not accept vaccinated beef," she said.
The transition process from FMD-free zones with vaccination to free zones without vaccination is laid out in the Strategic Plan of the National Surveillance Program for FMD (PNEFA), as established by the Unified Agricultural Health Care System (SUASA).
"National recognition by MAPA is one of the steps in achieving international recognition with the OIE. We expect to have this recognition by the organization in May 2021 for these states," says Geraldo Moraes, director of the Animal Health Department. According to the director, MAPA forwarded the Brazilian request to the OIE for international recognition. These states will undergo a rigorous evaluation by professionals appointed by the organization.
Currently, only Santa Catarina has international certification as a FMD-free zone without vaccination. Therefore, the entry of animals and products at risk for FMD from these six states into Santa Catarina must follow the guidelines defined for origin in a FMD-free zone with vaccination, until recognition by the OIE as a FMD-free zone without vaccination.
The rule comes into force on September 1.
August 14, 2020 / MAPA / Brazil.
www.gov.br/agricultura
