Brazil’s demand for health certificates to export animal products increased 11% in June

Brazil’s demand for health certificates to export animal products increased 11% in June, according to a report by the Federal Inspection Service (SIF). The report, released on July 15th, is the fourth edition reporting on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) on economic activities. The total number of International Health Certificates issued in June was 32,153.

There are 3,318 animal product handling establishments registered in the SIF, including the handling of meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, honey and bee products, eggs and fish, and their derived products. According to the document, the SIF received requests for permission to work 132 additional shifts in May at slaughterhouses.  These requests were made on an emergency basis by slaughterhouses handling poultry, cattle, and pigs.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the agency, together with companies and representatives of the productive sector, has monitored the situation of Covid-19 cases in industrial units and the measures adopted to protect industrial workers and civil servants. On July 3, a total of nine slaughterhouses stopped their activities for reasons related to Covid-19. The continued operation of slaughterhouses is essential to maintaining Brazil’s momentum in animal protein exports, which have been breaking records, as can be seen in the graph below:

Graph source: DataLiner (To request a DataLiner demo click here)

Suspended qualifications

Despite the growth in meat exports, Covid-19 has hampered shipments to China. An article published on Thursday, July 16, by Valor Econômico states that China has asked the Ministry of Agriculture to suspend the export license for a further two Brazilian slaughterhouses due to coronavirus cases amongst employees. Brazil’s agricultural attachés in Beijing today received a letter from the Chinese General Customs Administration (GACC) suggesting that establishments be blocked by the Ministry of Agriculture to prevent Asians from removing them from the list, which would lead to a more time-consuming process later for the resumption of sales. China is the main destination for Brazilian exports of beef, pork, and chicken. The order is directed to a beef and poultry slaughterhouse.

According to a source heard by Valor, China also asked for information on the situation of a further 15 slaughterhouses. Until now, six slaughterhouses have had their export licenses to China suspended. Five were blocked by the Chinese and one by Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture. China has been imposing similar restrictions on meat suppliers from other countries such as the United States, Germany, Holland, the United Kingdom, and Argentina.

Sources: Valor Econômico and Ministry of Agriculture

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