Rio Grande do Sul Ranchers Have Until October to Pay Health Fee
Rio Grande do Sul’s Animal Health Development and Defence Fund, Fundesa-RS, started issuing payment slips for a new annual contribution on September 14. The charge is based on the number of cattle and buffaloes recorded in each producer’s annual herd declaration, rather than being collected mainly when animals are slaughtered.
The fee is R$1.33 per declared animal. A holding reporting 500 animals would owe R$665 for the year, while one reporting 1,000 would owe R$1,330. The state’s annual herd declaration covers more than 10.9m cattle and approximately 41,800 buffaloes, distributed among 245,721 producers.
Producers whose records are current with the state agriculture secretariat should receive an email containing a link to generate the payment slip. Those who do not receive the message can obtain the document through Fundesa-RS channels by entering the CPF or CNPJ associated with the holding.
The amount due for 2026 can be paid until October 30 without a fine or interest. That date follows the extension granted for the annual herd declaration. Payments made after the deadline are subject to a 2% fine and interest of 4% per month.
Failure to pay does not by itself prevent animals from being moved within the property. It can, however, result in the loss of cover under the livestock insurance maintained by Fundesa-RS. That cover is connected to indemnities for sanitary slaughter in the event of a possible foot-and-mouth disease occurrence.
The new charge is additional to existing arrangements. Dairy producers will continue to contribute according to the volume of milk delivered to dairies, with that money allocated to indemnities related to brucellosis and tuberculosis. Contributions associated with animals sent for slaughter will also continue to be collected. Producers are therefore required to verify their herd-declaration data, monitor the arrival of the payment slip and settle the 2026 charge by the stated deadline.
