Brazilian Dairy Exports Require Stronger Animal Health Controls
Airton Spies, an agronomist and consultant who previously served as Santa Catarina’s secretary for agriculture and fisheries, said Brazil could not expand shipments of milk and dairy products while neglecting herd health. He told the third Week of Animal Production and Health of Paraná Cooperatives that importing countries require evidence of sanitary safety before granting market access.
The event, opened on October 6 by the Paraná Cooperative Organisation, was being held online and had about 500 registered participants. It was scheduled to continue through October 8. Spies highlighted brucellosis, tuberculosis and mastitis as infectious or inflammatory conditions that affect both farm output and the quality of animal products.
According to Spies, the European Union, Britain, Japan and China restrict dairy imports from countries where such diseases remain uncontrolled. He said Brazil currently does not export these products, but cited Africa, south-east Asia, the Middle East, Central America and the Caribbean as potential destinations once sanitary and cost barriers are overcome. Possible shipments could include milk powder and butter.
Production costs were another subject of the presentation. Spies said Brazilian costs averaged $0.40 per litre and should not remain above that level if the sector was to compete internationally; he compared this with an international reference of $0.30. He also linked mastitis to the concentration of milk solids, including protein and fat, which affects industrial yields and costs.
Brazilian milk contains about 7% solids, Spies said, compared with 9.22% in New Zealand. He described New Zealand as the world’s leading exporter of processed dairy products and as a benchmark for efficiency, citing its highly technical production model and stringent health and biosecurity controls.
José Roberto Ricken, chief executive of the Paraná cooperative system, said that “sanitary excellence and cost efficiency” could help Brazilian milk reach new markets. He said the Campos Gerais and south-western regions of Paraná already had strong sanitary standards but continued to face high costs. Ricken called for health measures across the state’s entire herd and for higher industrial yields.
Otamir Martins, a veterinarian and president of Paraná’s agricultural-defence agency, said: “We do not sell a product, we sell health.” He identified brucellosis and tuberculosis as major problems for dairy cattle and said biosecurity measures should not be set aside. Martins also cited cooperation between the Paraná government and private operators, particularly cooperatives, in sanitary control and livestock-production advances.
Alexandre Amorim Monteiro, a veterinarian and technical-development analyst at the Paraná cooperative system, led the programme. Four panels over three days covered Paraná’s main livestock chains: cattle, fish farming, pig farming and poultry. Cooperative managers, technicians and farmers took part, along with students of veterinary medicine, agronomy, animal science and agribusiness management.
