Risk Analysis prevents pest entry

To prevent the entry of pests into Brazil, technicians from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply carry out risk analysis for vegetable products. In total, 2.261 already have defined rules. Among them, cocoa from Indonesia, cherries from Chile, wheat grains from Russia and apples from Argentina. This action helps to avoid the introduction of more than 500 quarantine pests -- those that are not present in the country, but which, if introduced, could cause economic losses.

 

“There is, for example, the monilia fungus, which affects cocoa; the siro mite, which attacks stored products such as wheat flour; and the Chinese beetle, which affects practically all tree species”, explains the head of the Pest Risk Analysis Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Jefé Ribeiro.

 

When importing a fresh product, or one that has not undergone sufficient processing to eliminate crop pests, the shipment must be accompanied by the Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the National Phytosanitary Protection Organization (ONPF) of the exporting country. The document is used for products such as fruits, grains, seeds, seedlings, flowers and ornamental plants.

 

After the result of the risk analysis, additional declarations in the certificate or even the adoption of other procedures may be necessary, such as the movement of federal agricultural inspectors from Brazil to the exporting country. “The measure serves to inspect the product at origin and reduce the risk of a batch contaminated with pests arriving in our country”, explains Ribeiro.

 

Anyone interested (individual or legal entity) in bringing a certain plant product from a country must check whether it is authorized for import. If not, it is necessary to forward the request to the Pest Risk Analysis Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, through the Federal Superintendencies of Agriculture (SFAs) in the 26 states and the Federal District. Technicians will seek information about which pests are associated with the product and which only occur in the exporting country and are not present in Brazil. The idea is to indicate which phytosanitary measures are necessary to prevent the introduction of pests that do not yet exist in Brazil.

 

“After completing the risk analysis, Brazil forwards the proposals for phytosanitary measures to be followed to the National Phytosanitary Protection Organization of the exporting country”, informs Ribeiro. If this body does not agree with the rules, negotiations are carried out with the Brazilian NPPO to reach an agreement. The last step is to publish the measures in the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU).

 

Check the list of products authorized for import, at the link http://bit.ly/ikrVch

 

Kelly Beltrão

Map

(61) 3218-2203

press@agricultura.gov.br