Chamber authorizes agribusiness to hire private inspector to carry out sanitary analysis

The CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission) of the Chamber of Deputies approved this Tuesday (3) the final wording of the project that authorizes agribusiness companies to hire private inspectors to carry out the sanitary analysis of their slaughterhouses and establishments of the type.

The text maintains the obligation for the private report to be ratified by the Agricultural Defense Secretariat of the Ministry of Agriculture. As it had conclusive consideration in the committees, it goes to the Senate.

The project, authored by the Executive, was presented in April 2021. Before reaching the CCJ, it was approved by the Agriculture, Livestock, Supply and Rural Development committee and the Finance and Taxation committee.

At CCJ, the proposal was reported by deputy Pedro Lupion (PP-PR), who said that the objective is to relieve the inspectors of the Ministry of Agriculture.​ According to Lupion, in many states the Ministry of Agriculture needs to keep slaughterhouses or slaughterhouses of birds a veterinarian to follow if the place complies with the phytosanitary requirements.

“The government proposed, within an agricultural activity, such as animal slaughter, to have outsourced inspectors from private groups, veterinarians who will tell you if everything is ok or not. This will generate a report. This report, this daily and constant inspection of the establishments must be approved by the ministry’s agricultural defense agency,” said Lupion.

According to him, the project does not exempt the government from participating in the inspection of the sites. “He will have to do so. He will have to endorse what was said by the private inspector”, he pointed out.

By hiring private inspectors, the ministry could direct veterinarians to more urgent inspections, such as vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease. “And who has to do [essa atuação] is the ministry’s agricultural inspection department, which cannot be outsourced.”

The project indicates that the private company will have to guarantee that its products and services meet the quality and safety requirements established in the agricultural defense legislation.

The Ministry of Agriculture should establish basic criteria necessary for the development of self-control programs, as the hiring of private professionals to issue reports is called. In addition, the folder will have to edit complementary rules to detail these minimum requirements and define the official verification procedures for self-control programs.

If, during the agricultural inspection, faults are identified that could compromise consumer safety or animal and plant health, the company must collect the batches produced.

The project creates the Agricultural Defense Compliance Incentive program, which seeks to encourage the improvement of quality assurance systems and consolidate “an environment of mutual trust between the federal executive branch and regulated agents”.

The slaughterhouse or place that participates in the self-control program will have to regularly share operational and quality data with the agricultural inspection.

The text indicates that the Ministry of Agriculture may apply, in the face of evidence that the activity or product represents a risk, measures such as seizure of products, temporary suspension of activity or manufacturing process and destruction of products, when there is irregular importation into the country. .

The company that violates the law will be subject to a warning, fine, condemnation of the product, suspension or cancellation of registration, registration or accreditation and cancellation of the qualification of a professional to provide services related to agricultural defense. The fine ranges from BRL 100 to BRL 150,000.

Deputy Patrus Ananias (PT-MG) criticized the measure for seeing a conflict of interest in the inspection to be contracted by the private sector.

“We understand the space of the private sector to produce goods and services, to contribute to national development, but the private sector basically seeks profit, it seeks its gains. Monitoring in the name of life, in the name of the common good is a task of the State” , he said.