The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) believes in the resumption of beef exports to China in March, if it is confirmed that the case of mad cow registered in Pará is really atypical.

A sample was sent to laboratory in Canada and the result should come out on Thursday (2) or Friday (3). The expectation of the Brazilian government is that it is an atypical case —when it occurs organically in an older animal and there is no risk of contamination of the herd.

On Monday (27) evening, there was a videoconference between the Map and the summit of the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC). The meeting was conducted by the secretary of international relations of the folder, Roberto Perosa, trusted man of Minister Carlos Fávaro.

According to reports made to CNN Brazil, as recorded by Agência Safras, it was a "very deep" and "very positive" conversation, in which the Chinese greeted the Brazilian government for transparency in the conduct of the case. Everything will depend on the test result. But if there is proof that it was even an atypical episode, the signaling is a short-term resumption of exports.

Beef exports: protocol between Brazil and China

The protocol between Brazil and China for mad cow disease determines the preventive suspension of beef sales to the Asian country when a case is diagnosed. That's why they were interrupted as early as last week. The measure was only valid for the Chinese market, which is precisely the main destination of shipments of the product.

According to Brazilian government sources, if the result of the Canadian laboratory comes as imagined, the release for resumption of exports is expected to take place in March. The maximum deadline with which the Ministry of Agriculture works for this release is the official visit of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Beijing on The 28th of this month, but "the goal is to solve before that", as a government source points out.

Source: Canal Rural