SAO PAULO (Reuters) – The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has recognized Brazil as a country free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, Brazilian beef lobby Abrafrigo said in a statement on Thursday.
Brazil is the world’s top beef exporter and the certificate could contribute to opening new markets.
This is the first time that the country has achieved this level of excellence in its sanitary controls, according to Abrafrigo.
The lobby, which represents some of the largest Brazilian meatpackers such as Marfrig, said the recognition was a “historic moment for the beef agro-industrial chain.”
“The new status also brings new challenges and responsibilities for all actors involved, with the aim of maintaining the herd in adequate sanitary conditions and increasingly strengthening the country’s role as a major producer and supplier of animal-origin food for Brazil and the world,” it added.
The Brazilian Agriculture Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Ana Mano; Writing by Isabel Teles; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Tomasz Janowski)
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