China opens new market for Brazilian product of animal origin

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil and the General Administration of Customs of the Republic of China established, this Friday (14), a protocol on sanitary and quarantine requirements that must be followed by Brazilian establishments in the production of processed animal protein terrestrial. With this, the Asian country opens a new market for the export of the Brazilian product.

Used to make animal feed, processed protein comes from poultry and pork and includes meat, bone, blood and feather meal, among others.

According to the protocol, establishments interested in selling the product to China must have effective risk management and quality tracking systems in place. Inspections at the slaughterhouses will be carried out before and after the animals die.

The raw materials must be from animals that were born and raised in Brazil in areas free of foot-and-mouth disease, classical and African swine fever, swine vesicular disease and avian influenza. Slaughter sites must also be officially approved.

According to the ministry, Brazil is among the largest exporters of terrestrial animal meal, behind only countries in the European Union, the United States and Australia. China is the third largest buyer of the product.

The protocol between the bodies was one of the acts signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Chinese President Xi Jinping today in Beijing. In total, signed 15 agreements by various ministries and agencies of both countries.

electronic certification

The two bodies also created the Brazil-China Work Plan for Cooperation in Electronic Certification for Products of Animal Origin.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the work plan provides for the assessment of the feasibility of exchanging data related to electronic certification. From then on, the two bodies will promote the necessary adjustments in the systems used in Brazil and China and will determine the models of veterinary certificates to be used.

International health certificates for products of animal origin are essential documents for international trade and contain information that proves compliance with health and food safety requirements.

The objective, according to the ministry, is for electronic certification to provide more speed and security to commercial transactions between countries, with the possibility of expanding exports and imports in a safer way.

Lula’s trip to China was supposed to take place at the end of last month, but a case of pneumonia forced him to postpone the appointment. Even with the postponement, part of the entourage that arrived before the president managed to move forward on important issues, one of them in the area of ​​agribusiness.

On the occasion, the Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro, announced China’s decision to end the embargo on Brazilian beef, after 29 days of suspension. Brazil is the biggest supplier of beef to the Asian country and 60% of Brazilian production is sold to China.