Port of São Sebastião ships more than 21,000 live cattle to Turkey

The Port of São Sebastião, on the coast of São Paulo, has been shipping 21,084 live cattle to Turkey since the weekend. On this shipment, accompanied by professionals from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA), are animals of the Brangus breed.

The work is carried out by federal agricultural inspectors and agents of agricultural activities from two areas of the Secretariat of Agricultural Defense of the Ministry of Agriculture: the Department of Animal Health (DSA) and the General Coordination of International Agricultural Surveillance (Vigiagro).

The care and observation related to animal welfare begins well before boarding, still in the so-called Pre-Shipment Establishment (EPEs), also with the supervision of the team.

The EPEs are the places where the animals remain in quarantine to comply with the sanitary measures required by the importing countries. There, servants of the Inspection Service for Inputs and Animal Health (Sisa) follow up from the opening of the quarantine and the treatment of the animals, until the closure, when they have already fulfilled the requirements and are ready to start the trip.

Upon arrival at the port, another team takes over the work. Vigiagro has the function of verifying that the animals arrived in conditions to board the ships – built exclusively for this purpose or adapted for this – and continue their journey to the country of destination.

The journey between the pre-shipment establishments and the port must take place within a maximum period of 12 hours. The trip between Brazil and Turkey (destination of most animals) can last from 18 to 20 days.

“All the work involves management plans, travel plans, contingency plans, everything to ensure that the animals remain in good health conditions and that the environments around them guarantee safety and well-being”, said Celso Gabriel Herrera Nascimento, head of the Vigiagro Regional Management Service of the 4th Region.

This shipment should last all week. In 2023, only at the Port of São Sebastião, eight shipments were made, all to Turkey, totaling around 70,000 animals. Exports can be for fattening, immediate slaughter or reproduction. In the case of the animals that are being shipped this week, the destination will be fattening.

Brazil also exports live animals to Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Angola, Algeria, Bolivia, Cambodia, Congo, United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, Mauritius, Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, Morocco, Mozambique, among others. In addition to São Sebastião, exports take place through the ports of Rio Grande (RS), Imbituba (SC) and Vila do Conde (PA).

Animal welfare – The Terrestrial Animal Health Code of the World Organization for Animal Health (WHOA) understands animal welfare as their physical and mental health.

The animals need to be healthy, comfortable, well fed and safe, being able to express their natural behaviors. They cannot go through unpleasant situations such as pain, fear and restlessness.

The Code also indicates minimum conditions for animal welfare, known as the five freedoms: to live free from hunger, thirst and malnutrition; free from fear and distress; free from physical and thermal discomfort; free from pain, injury and disease; and free to manifest natural behavior.

The Map works so that well-being actions take place at all stages of this process. It also trains everyone involved in animal handling.

To give you an idea, in the port area inspection begins with the inspection of the vessel, to check if it is able to receive cattle, providing the five freedoms.

Food and water must be available for the entire route, in addition to equipment to fill the reservoirs and to promote adequate ventilation and oxygenation.

The horizontal and vertical spacing where the animals will be kept, the hospital stalls, the use of non-slip floors and the absence of sharp objects are also inspected.

It is mandatory that there is a pharmacy on board and a plan to isolate decks, in case any transmissible pathology occurs during the trip.

Source: DBO Portal

To read the full original report, visit: https://portaldbo.com.br/porto-de-sao-sebastiao-embarca-mais-de-21-mil-bovinos-vivos-para-a-turquia/

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