Animal Traceability in Brazil
Inputs for establishing a nationwide system to ensure deforestation-free cattle production in Brazil
The purpose of this technical report is to present a brief overview of the current situation with animal traceability in Brazil, highlighting its main challenges and opportunities, and to propose a series of measures to be implemented mainly by the government. The goal with this report is to establish a minimum legal framework for domestic production of deforestation-free cattle and reduce the participation of cattle production chain in the processes of natural habitat conversion, degradation and deforestation in all Brazilian biomes.
Traceability for sanitary purposes is already well consolidated in Brazil. However, to meet the most recent global demand for food, attributes such as social and environmental issues have become equally important. This discussion is even more relevant when the subject is cattle ranching, because despite its economic relevance, this has been the main activity associated with deforested areas in the country and is even classified as a high-risk commodity by some international markets.
Considering that new international regulations seeking to bar the importation of products associated with deforestation that are already being discussed and approved by relevant importing markets, Brazil very soon will need to promote improvements and modernizations in the currently existing systems and implement new instruments capable of attesting to the socio-environmental traceability of its cattle. To make these changes feasible in a fast, robust and scalable manner, the report proposes the creation of a National Traceability Plan, one of whose roles would be to organize the different government bodies and instances around the establishment of a National Cattle Traceability System.
The present report does not intend to provide detailed technical guidelines for drafting the national plan or to exhaust all the details, mechanisms and instruments necessary to make the establishment of this type of public policy feasible. That must be done within a specific working group composed of government agencies and representatives of the main segments of the Brazilian beef supply chain.
Autoren
![Mauro J. Capóssoli Armelin Forest Engineer with a master's degree in forest sciences from ESALQ/USP and Executive Director of Amigos da Terra - Amazônia Brasileira. Worked for the Ministry of the Environment, coordinating capacity-building initiatives for the commercialization of forest products. Participated in the development of the National Center for Support of Forest Management at IBAMA, was a founder of FSC Brazil, and a member of the Board of Directors of FSC International. Is part of the Executive Committee of the Forest Code Observatory and the Council of the Brazilian Forest Dialogue.](https://de.apdbrasil.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1_Mauro_.jpg)
Mauro J. Capóssoli Armelin
![Natália Tiso B. R. Grossi Bachelor's degree in Environmental Management at ESALQ/USP. With 10 years of experience in the development and management of projects focused on sustainable production, working with sustainability standards, the development of sociobiodiversity supply chains, and the implementation of traceability commitments and solutions in the meat production chain.](https://de.apdbrasil.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2_natalia_.jpg)
Natália Tiso B. R. Grossi
![Cintia Munch Cavalcanti Forest engineer, with a master's and doctoral degree in Applied Ecology from ESALQ-USP, and postgraduate studies in scientific journalism from Unicamp. With over ten years of experience working on initiatives aimed at contributing to environmental conservation, socioeconomic development, and productivity in agricultural chains.](https://de.apdbrasil.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3_Cintia_.jpg)
Cintia Munch Cavalcanti
![Pedro C. Burnier Agricultural engineer with a master's and doctoral degree in business administration. Has experience as a producer and director of a fruit exporting company, as well as having directed an agricultural development program for 4 years. Has been coordinating the agriculture program at Amigos da Terra - Amazônia Brasileira since 2013, as well as the GTFI program.](https://de.apdbrasil.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/4_Pedro_.jpg)