Bill proposes the reactivation of a federal fund to finance agricultural defense actions

After coordination between the National Union of Federal Agricultural Tax Auditors (Anffa Sindical) and the productive sector and the federal legislature, bill No. 3179/2024 was filed this week, which aims to reactivate the Federal Agricultural Defense Fund. The proposal also includes other measures to improve the working conditions of agricultural auditors and, consequently, offer greater quality and efficiency in inspections of foods of animal origin for the final consumer. 

Created in the 1960s, the Federal Agricultural Defense Fund has been inactive since the 2000s. If approved, the measure will allow the financing of agricultural defense actions through the collection of registration fees for products and companies. A slaughterhouse that wishes to carry out slaughter on weekends, for example, may pay a fee via the fund, which will be used to pay employees who work beyond regular working hours. 

Called compensation for work during time off, compensation will come through a fee paid by the production sector. The PL text also provides that auditors have the option of accumulating this service time in a time bank. “Payment will be made by the Ministry of Agriculture (Mapa) via the fund, ensuring that extra work is remunerated fairly”, highlighted the president of Anffa Sindical, Janus Pablo Macedo. 

“The measure is seen as a way to alleviate the burden on tax auditors, who often face long hours of work in locations far from their families. The financial incentive can attract other auditors to these roles, improving the quality of inspections and the country's agricultural defense, as well as valuing the profession”, added Macedo.

Authored by federal deputy Domingos Sávio (PL/MG), the bill also provides an additional payment for agricultural auditors who work permanently inspecting slaughterhouses and slaughterhouses, especially in border regions and remote locations. Those who carry out periodic inspections in factories producing products derived from animals, such as milk and yogurt, will not be covered by the measure.

The text also includes the possibility of expanding the fund's resources for other agricultural defense activities, at the discretion of the Mapa Agricultural Defense Secretariat. “This forecast, included after a request from the union itself, is essential for other areas to be covered by the Fund at the discretion of the Agricultural Defense Secretariat. These are essential activities to guarantee the safety and quality of food, inputs and agricultural products”, highlighted the president of Anffa Sindical. 

If the initiative becomes law, it will still require regulation by the Agricultural Defense Secretariat (SDA), of the Ministry of Agriculture.