Argentina to import swine semen from Brazil

The agreement, which was finalised earlier this year, also includes promises to ship bovine genetics in both directions across the border. In addition, frog meat will be allowed to be shipped from Brazil to Argentina. The total package, containing 29 points, is a good step forward for both countries. Both in Brazil and Argentina, beef production is substantially larger than pork production in terms of volume.

Bilateral agriculture deal with 29 items

At the bilateral meeting, held in Brazil’s capital Brasilia, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) and National Food Safety and Quality Service (Senasa), part of the Argentinian ministry of agriculture, reiterated their willingness to work together in a close and coordinated manner. The agreement stated: ‘Brazil and Argentina are committed, in the spirit of their friendly and priority relationship on agricultural topics, to ensure that any pending issues are resolved as quickly as possible’.

Brazil’s minister Cristina commented, “We finally agreed to advance topics which have been on our agenda for years. Our technical teams held meetings and made great progress on subjects of interest to both countries, including the diversification of our agenda.”

Also read: In recent years, Argentina’s pig industry has been growing

Meeting between agricultural ministers

The signing is a result of a meeting between the agricultural ministers of both countries, during the International Green Week in Berlin, Germany, in January. There, minister Tereza Cristina, Brazil, and her counterpart Luis Eugenio Basterra, on behalf of Argentina, agreed on the main points of understanding.

Companies to benefit from the agricultural deal

Swine genetics companies in Brazil expected to benefit from the deal include Agroceres, PIC, Topigs Norsvin, DanBred, Genetiporc do Brasil and Choice Genetics, all having boar studs there. Worth noting is that Brazil also imports a bit of swine semen itself. Official data over 2018 from the Brazilian federal government show that 2,083 doses were imported from Switzerland (45.6%), the US (20.7%) and France (13.7%) in 2018.

For the Argentinian pig industry, the timing of the deal is convenient. At the moment, there is a huge demand of swine genetics from China for purposes of rebuilding the swine herd. Both countries agreed that missions will be sent in both directions in the near future to carry out maintenance audits and increase mutual understanding.