Cattle raisers consider the bill simple and easy to be enforced

The Committee for Constitution, Justice and Citizenship (CCJ) approved on Wednesday, November 5, the Bill 3514/08, proposing the reform of rules for bovine or bubaline (relating to buffalos) cattle tracking in Brazil.

In response to the growing international pressure, the Brazilian government developed, in 2001, Sisbov (Brazilian System for Identification and Certification of Bovine and Bubaline Origin), which was reformed and renamed, in 2006, as Tracking Service for the Production Chain of Bovine and Bubaline Cattle.

In recent visits of missions of the European Union, the inspectors detected imperfections and weaknesses in the system adopted by Brazil. Therefore, they recommended embargoes to Brazilian meat, whose export was restricted to 95 rural properties, compared to 5.000 who used to export it before.

The bill´s rapporteur at the Committee, Deputy Moreira Mendes (PPS/RO), examined the constitutionality of the subject and highlighted the bill´s advantages. As a member of the Parliamentary Front for Cattle and Livestock, he considers that the bill, which is a result of a joint effort of several congresspeople, technicians and experts, “is very simple and objective, easily complied to by the large and small Brazilian producer; it bill will attribute trustworthiness to our product in the international market".

The bill establishes that the cattle tracking be implemented with the help of the following tools: 

- Fire marking, tattooing or any other permanent way of marking animals, for the identification of their owner´s establishment;
-  Animal Transit Permission (GTA);
- Invoice; 
- Vaccination certification; and
- Registers at the Federal Inspection Service, from the states or cities, according to the requirements of the relevant legislation.

After the approval and regulation of that rule, the producers will have a two-year term to adapt to the requirements regarding the control of bovine and bubaline meat.

Problems
Mad Cow Disease in Europe triggered an international and growing preoccupation about food safety, especially regarding the quality and sanity of raw meat. Therefore, the producing countries had to face several requirements, such as the implementing of a tracking system in the European Union and the adoption of this system by countries exporting to that economic bloc.

Moreira Mendes defended the extinction of the current tracking system (Tracking Service for the Production Chain of Bovine and Bubaline), for considering that the small producers will have problems in adopting it. He reminded that this system was also criticized by the European Union, which restricted their meat imports from Brazil.

Procedure
The Bill, proposed by the Committee for Agriculture, Livestock, Supply and Rural Development, runs in priority procedure and will be voted by the Floor.

Report - Geórgia Moraes
Editing - Newton Araújo Jr./Rejane Xavier