Brazil confirmed it was analyzing a possible ‘mad cow’ case: how a positive result would affect Argentine exports

The Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) reported today the appearance of a suspected case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, a disease known as “mad cow disease”. The portfolio indicates that a sample is taken to confirm or refute an initial analysis and from this data, deploy the relevant measures.

Brazil assured that all the necessary preventive measures were being adopted. In a statement, the neighboring country’s Ministry of Agriculture said that “the suspicion has already been subjected to laboratory analyzes for confirmation or not and, depending on the result, the corresponding actions will be applied immediately”.

The brief press release – two paragraphs long – does not specify the area in which the suspected case was detected.

According to the journalistic versions of the regional media, the case would have been detected in an old animal in the state of Pará. The result of the second analysis, which will be the last, will be available on Thursday.

In the context of Brazil outside the Chinese market, the temporary supply must be covered by countries such as Uruguay and Argentina

The appearance of the suspected case necessitated the preventive paralysis of the agricultural market in slaughterhouses. A key aspect to consider is that Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of beef and such news means that its buying markets may stop imports.

In 2021, Brazil suspended beef exports to China after confirming two cases of “atypical” mad cow disease at two meat plants. Then, the authorities clarified that the animals developed the disease spontaneously and sporadically, unrelated to the ingestion of contaminated food” and that “there was no transmission of the disease” to other specimens. .

If the case is confirmed, Brazil must make the global announcement and will stop exporting to China, its main market, until that country considers it.

And in the context of Brazil outside the Chinese market, the temporary supply must be covered by countries such as Uruguay and Argentina. In this case, there could be a temporary advantage for local exports, at least until China accepts Brazilian meat again. In addition, in the case of our country, restrictions are applied to the marketing of beef in the world: until December 31 of this year, exports of the 7 pieces of barbecue, the most consumed in the domestic market, will continue to be restricted.

Of course, if the disease is confirmed and Brazil leaves the Chinese market for a few months, international prices will register sharp increases: the neighboring country represents between 35 and 40% of the Asian giant’s imports.

On the other hand, China has become the main destination for national beef exports, despite internal restrictive policies due to the increase in coronavirus cases and given the problems of the aforementioned country’s economy. Beyond that, China represented 80.3% of the volumes exported last December and 77.6% of the cumulative volume of 2022.

As underlined GlobeLiveMedia a few weeks ago, meat exports from Mercosur reached an all-time high in 2022, but Argentina’s participation was the lowest in the last 4 years. The total exported by the region last year was 3.4 million tonnes, with an annual growth of 16.4%, or some 500,000 tonnes more.

Yes OK Argentina it also closed with an increase in volume sent overseas, saw a decline in participation in regional shipments and grew below the rate it experienced Brazil there Paraguay over the past two decades, according to Mediterranean-Ieral Foundation.

Argentina has lost ground to Brazil in terms of total export share, falling to 18.8% in 2022, one percentage point less than in 2021 (19.8%) and the worst rating in the last 4 years. In this regard, the report points out that “the country reached its greatest role in 2009, with 22.5% of total shipments, but it must be remembered that in that year the liquidation of uteri was very strong , which meant that the process was not sustainable over time, and that the following year (2010), with the consequent lack of animals, exports suffered a sharp drop and the country’s share fell to 10 .5%”.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a progressive degenerative disease, with extensive neurological damage, which has a long gestation period in cattle (up to 8-10 years) and ends in the death of the animal. The disease was identified in England in 1985 and, although its occurrence is uncertain, there is scientific agreement that it is associated with the feeding of cattle with meals of animal origin which have not received adequate heat treatment.

Such a problem would concern sheep, which suffer from an equivalent disease called “trembling“, and similar diseases have also been described in other ruminants as well as in cats, foxes and some types of deer.

The disease is caused by an unconventional transmissible agent which is an infectious protein called a prion and is characterized by a long and variable incubation period of around 4 or 5 years.

With information from Telam and NA

Continue reading: