Port of Natal cleared to handle live cattle exports

Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock has cleared the Port of Natal to handle live cattle exports, opening the way for the terminal in Rio Grande do Norte to carry out animal shipment operations.

Codern, the state-controlled dock company that manages the port, completed the clearance process on Wednesday (17) after inspections by Vigiagro, the ministry’s federal agricultural surveillance system.

“The Port of Natal underwent the required Vigiagro inspections and fully met all established requirements,” Codern said in a statement. The company added that no date has yet been set for the start of operations.

Representatives from the Agriculture Ministry were in Natal last Friday (12) for a meeting on live cattle exports. The port is expected to receive a test shipment of 3,300 animals bound for Lebanon.

According to Codern, the timing of the export operation is up to the exporters. From the port’s side, all required procedures have been completed.

The authorization allows the Port of Natal to handle the loading and unloading of cattle, sheep, horses and pigs. It also covers refrigerated and frozen cargo, although Codern said that specific clearance applies only to products of plant origin. Exports of poultry, eggs and pets have not been authorized by the ministry. The clearance has no fixed expiration date.

“The facility has the minimum conditions required by the Vigiagro system to carry out operations and handle the approved categories of agricultural products,” the clearance document said.

“The buildings, facilities, IT equipment, furniture and materials made available to Vigiagro provide adequate conditions for the execution of controls and inspections by the Agriculture Ministry,” it added.

Tribuna do Norte said it contacted Rio Grande do Norte’s Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. Secretary Guilherme Saldanha only confirmed the ministry’s visit. The newspaper also contacted the Agriculture Ministry for comment on the visit but had not received a response by publication time.

Initial forecasts indicated that the first shipment could take place between June 24 and 25. In a previous report published by Tribuna do Norte, Saldanha said the expectation was that, after the first shipment, the Agriculture Ministry would release live animal exports, with the potential to inject up to R$1 billion a year into the Rio Grande do Norte economy.

“This is a business that moves around R$9 billion in Brazil, and we intend to capture part of that market, with the expectation of reaching 10% of it. That means something around R$900 million to R$1 billion a year for the Rio Grande do Norte economy,” Saldanha said.

Rio Grande do Norte has two pre-shipment stations registered with the Agriculture Ministry. These facilities are essential to the export process because they are where cattle remain in quarantine before boarding.

One station is located in the Baixo-Açu Irrigation District, in Alto do Rodrigues. The other is in São Gonçalo do Amarante, about 50 kilometers from Natal. The animals for the test shipment to Lebanon are expected to depart from there.

Source: Tribuna do Norte

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