March 23, 2009
Russia lifts ban on southern Brazilian state pork exports
Russia has lifted the ban on pork exports from Santa Catarina, Brazil, following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in December 2005.
The chairman of Coopercentral Aurora, in Santa Catarina, Brazil, Mario Lanzsnaster estimates a 30,000 to 40,000 tonne per month reduction in the state's domestic pork supply over the next 90 days due to the resumption in Russian imports.
Lanzsnaster said that Russia has granted the Brazilian Agriculture Ministry autonomy to audit 10 plants so that the state can start exporting.
Pork slaughter house Aurora, which sells to Russia through its Sarandi plant in Rio Grande do Sul, plans to use three meat-packing plants in Santa Catarina to speed production.
The chairman said that pork stockpiles have been 50 percent higher than usual, and also believes that the end to the Russian ban will prompt a positive reaction from the entire meat chain.
Santa Catarina Agricultural Federation (FAESC) chairman José Zeferino Pedrozo said the lift on the Russian ban has come at the right time, as Brazilian pork stocks are currently at 50,000 tonnes.
