Paraná suspends foot-and-mouth vaccination

Minister Tereza Cristina (Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply) said on Tuesday (10/15) that the suspension of foot-and-mouth vaccination in the state of Paraná opens the prospect of new markets for Brazilian beef.

“Brazil has a giant opportunity to be a great exporter not only to China but to other countries. So Paraná takes an important step, but things don’t happen overnight. Everything has a step-by-step, and Paraná started with the right foot,” she said.

In a ceremony at the Iguaçu Palace in Curitiba, the minister signed the Normative Instruction authorizing the suspension of foot-and-mouth vaccination in the state. With this, starting in November, the state’s herd of 9.2m cattle and buffaloes will no longer be vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease. Withdrawal of the vaccine means there are no reported cases of the disease in the area.

Tereza Cristina stressed that animal health in Brazil is of good quality and to continue evolving the rural producer must fulfill its role, the state must supervise and educate, the federations must promote entrepreneurship, and Mapa must work to open markets to balance production. “We are harmonizing the public sector, the private and productive sector, the agribusiness and the rural producer. We have to work together. We have huge opportunities passing by.”

State Secretary of Agriculture Norberto Ortigara stressed that the next steps are to expand surveillance mechanisms, with georeferencing and strategic intelligence, to prevent any reintroduction of the virus. “There will be no such things as receiving visits from another part of the world without the proper protocol. All for the strengthening of the farmer’s economy, the economy of the state of Paraná, and the chance to bring more money to Brazil.”

Normative Instruction

The Ministry will monitor Paraná to assess the performance of border checkpoints and, subsequently, will recognize the state nationally as an area free of foot and mouth disease without vaccination. This stage is within the Brazilian objective of gradually expanding the areas without vaccination against the disease, foreseen in the strategic plan 2017-2026 of the National Program for Eradication and Prevention of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (PNEFA 2017/2026).

According to the head of the Ministry’s FMD Division, Diego Viali dos Santos, the doses of foot-and-mouth vaccines stored in Paraná will be relocated by private initiative to the states that will still apply the product. “Without vaccination, the producer of Paraná will save about R$20m per year, equivalent to the purchase of just the vaccine, not including the other costs associated with the management of animals,” he said.

The state is on track to finalize, by the end of the year, the pending actions to become a free area without vaccination, by hiring veterinary doctors and technicians to act in the foot-and-mouth surveillance and the construction of an agricultural inspection post on the border with São Paulo.

There will be no changes in the transit of animals and animal products and by-products coming from or destined for Paraná until December 31 this year. From 2020, the entry of vaccinated animals, cattle, and buffaloes in the state of Paraná will be prohibited. Subsequently, when the state becomes nationally recognized as free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, as already occurs in Santa Catarina, the other rules for the transit of animals susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease and their products will be in force as per current legislation.

Finally, following the procedures of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), in September 2020, Brazil will claim the international recognition of Paraná as a foot-and-mouth free area without vaccination, which should be officialized by the OIE in May 2021.

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