September 8, 2008
Brazilian farms rush to get approval to cash in on EU market
Higher prices for approved Brazilian beef in the EU has prompted more farms to apply for SISBOV (Brazil's Cattle Traceability System) to be eligible for this market, causing a rise in Brazilian approved farms in recent weeks.
In the past week alone, the number of Brazilian farms approved for export to the EU has risen 34 percent to 222.
It is estimated that the number would have to rise to 3,000 to supply the EU market at levels seen before the EU banned Brazilian beef in February.
Currently, more than 1,000 Brazilian farms are awaiting approval
To be approved, farms have to request auditing to the local regional authority, which has to be later approved by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA); the list with approved farms is then submitted to the EU Commission – the whole process would take about a month.
The lack of technicians required to conduct checks is currently slowing homepage the process. However, increased training by state governments, especially in the states of Parana and Sao Paulo, where exports have been approved, is expected to alleviate the situation.
