Disease Eradication Project Model for Nation
BRAZIL - A Pilot Project for the Eradication of Brucellosis and Tuberculosis, held in the district of the city of Arroio do Meio could serve as a model for the rest of the state of Rio Grande do Sul and then the whole country.
28 June 2012
2 minute read
The initiative covers six counties in the region - Arroio do Meio, Capitão, Coqueiro Baixo, Nova Bréscia, Pouso Novo and Travesseiro - and the city of Dois Irmãos, including 1,146 properties certified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA). It is estimated to include 36,000 head of cattle.
From the project, which was started in 2008 and coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Agriculture and Agribusiness (Seapa-RS), the State Program for Control and Eradication of Tuberculosis and Brucellosis Bovídea (Procetube) was created in 2011.
The initiative is being prepared for additional legislation to enable more effective health interventions.
The agriculture ministry said it will grade the farms and compensate the farmers with a quarter of the value of the animals for those found to have TB.
The next step is to transform the pilot project into a standard programme for the entire state, and eventually to the whole of Brazil.
A certificate for those properties that are free of both diseases offers many advantages for the producer, as the herd will be given unrestricted movement and it will end mandatory testing for interstate animal movement. It will also give greater credibility for the marketing of animals and differentiate the milk from these farms, allowing access to foreign markets.
Initially 18 veterinarians authorised by the Ministry of Agriculture were responsible for the project.
"In addition to cleaning up an area for two diseases that have an impact on public health, since diseases are transmissible to humans, the programme approves the production of a large number of small rural producers, adding value to their product," said the state coordinator to against diseases in the agriculture department Jorge de Almeida Meana.
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