Recognized as foot-and-mouth free in Brazil, MS aims for international certification – Economy

After Mato Grosso do Sul achieved national recognition as free from foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, the State Government is now aiming for international certification by May 2025.

This Monday (25), Mapa (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock) published an ordinance in the Official Gazette of the Union making the status official, which has already been in effect in the State since 2023.

The states of Amapá, Amazonas, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Pará, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Roraima, São Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins and the Federal District were also recognized.

“This is already a path to international recognition. Mato Grosso do Sul carried out the last vaccination in November 2022 and is now working towards completing the entire protocol for international recognition by the World Organization for Animal Health”, explained the director-president of Iagro (State Agency for Animal and Plant Health Defense) , Daniel Ingold.

Still according to him, the forecast is that it will be analyzed in May 2025. “We are finalizing the serology and have already sent the documentation to Mapa, and on May 2nd the traffic will be interrupted with those who are still vaccinating. This documentation is taken to the Ministry in September, and a protocol is drawn up that is forwarded to the World Organization for Animal Health and the claim will be analyzed in May 2025, then it will have international certification”, said Ingold.

The president of Acrissul (Association of Breeders of Mato Grosso do Sul), Guilherme Bumlai, also emphasizes that this is a further step towards international recognition.

“This ordinance is a national recognition that is part of the process of international recognition by the World Organization for Animal Health that should occur in 2025. Therefore, in practice it will not yet be possible to transit animals to areas already recognized internationally, but it is an important procedure within the necessary criteria so that we can be recognized next year”, he highlighted.

The transition process from areas free from foot-and-mouth disease with vaccination to free without vaccination is foreseen in the PNEFA (Strategic Plan of the National Foot-and-Mouth Disease Surveillance Program). The goal for Brazil to become completely free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination is by 2026.

Since 2023 – The status of a foot-and-mouth disease-free area without vaccination began in 2023, after the final stage to obtain the title from the Ministry of Agriculture was completed in November 2022. But it had not yet been recognized.

With this, Mato Grosso do Sul will now bear the highest health seal, paving the way for livestock products from the State to access the most demanding markets in the world.

In April 2023, Iagro published an ordinance prohibiting the use of vaccines against foot-and-mouth disease in the State. The measure follows PNEFA guidelines.

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