The export of live animals is expanding in Brazil. According to the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services (MDIC), the country moved more than R $ 1.2 billion in 2017, with the export of live loads, totaling 22 million animals, with emphasis on cattle.
However, like any sale of agricultural items abroad, the export of live animals must follow a series of norms. Check below some procedures elaborated by the National Confederation of Transport on the trade of live loads.
First, the animals leave the breeding sites and are sent to an EPE (Pre-Shipment Establishment), approved by the Ministry of Agriculture. At the site, veterinarians check the sanitary requirements established by the importing country. Currently, in Brazil, there are 41 EPEs in six states. In addition, the verification of the origin of the animals, aimed at the sanitary certification, and the preparation of the living load for the transport are made.
These procedures are part of the so-called pre-shipment quarantine. After this stage, the veterinarians issue a document called Aczi (Authorization for Issue of the International Zoosanitary Certificate), which releases the animals to be transported.
The truck is then sealed by the veterinarian and heads towards the ports, where the vehicle is heavy and also discharged by veterinarians from the Ministry of Agriculture. These professionals supervise the transfer of the animals from the truck to the ship. If all is in accordance with regulations, veterinarians shall issue the international animal health certificate for the export of the animals.