Minister André de Paula says that Chinese recognition of Brazil as a foot-and-mouth disease-free country is a positive counterpoint to the EU report.

The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa), André de Paula, stated this Tuesday (2), in the capital of São Paulo, that China's recognition of Brazil as a country free of foot-and-mouth disease is a testament to the confidence in the sanitary safety and quality of Brazilian meat, serving as a positive counterpoint to the European Union's report on the use of antimicrobials in national livestock farming. "We have a robust agricultural defense, with credibility, we export to more than 170 countries," the minister emphasized while participating in a meeting of the Agribusiness Council of the Commercial Association of São Paulo (ACSP), led by Cesario Ramalho, former president of the Brazilian Rural Society. In his presentation, André de Paula made a point of remembering that, at the moment, there is no European embargo on Brazilian meat – which may or may not occur by September – and that the government will gather all the information to resolve the issue by that date. "The EU's position also seems to me to be somewhat of a market defense, of raising barriers on our product." Furthermore, the minister also addressed the issue of fertilizers, noting that the ministry is mapping new supplier partners. "Recently, for example, we started importing from Nigeria." 

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.