Exhibit 8, 100416 Brazil FMD Risk Evaluation - R-Calf

The majority of Santa Catarina’s swine industry consists of a vertically integrated production system
from breeding stock to processing (85 percent of the State’s producers operate under such a system
according to officials interviewed during the 2008 site visit). In this system, a certified breeding
farm, or GRSC, produces breeding animals and distributes them to piglet production units (UPLs).
The GRSCs are highly controlled facilities that produce all of the breeding/grandparent stock for all
aspects of production within the cooperative [11, 13].
There are no animals introduced to the GRSCs; they use their own genetics. Biosecurity
requirements for GRSCs, as provided in Normative Instruction No. SDA 19/2002, include
requirements for peripheral fencing, a single entry point for people and vehicles with an appropriate
disinfection system, a loading and unloading station next to the fence, and disinfection for materials
and equipment. In addition, a locker room and shower facility with impermeable floors must be
available for visitors to shower in. Visitors must shower twice before entering the facility, once at a
nearby hotel and then again within the facility. Visitors must also shower before leaving the facility.
Visitors must complete a form describing the date and place of visits to facilities containing pigs (no
one can visit such a facility more than once within 24 hours). Clean water must be available.
Finally, the facility must be licensed by the environmental department for treating and disposing of
waste. A system must be in place for proper disposal of dead animals.
GRSCs must conduct routine testing for CSF, Aujesky’s disease, brucellosis, TB, scabies, and
leptospirosis every six months. Additionally, GRSCs will lose their certification if a slaughter plant
or feed mill locates too close or is classified as an at-risk facility for any reason. There are 306
GRSCs in Brazil within the CSF-free zone. The majority of them (136) are located within Santa
Catarina [11].
The cooperative production system is governed by contract, with the parent company guaranteeing
the supply of piglets, feed, and veterinary assistance [13]. The cooperative agencies involved in the
production systems reviewed during the site visit included many aspects of agriculture, including
crop production and the rearing of different livestock species. The parent company has minimum
biosecurity standards, which they help the small producer to meet and maintain. Additional
requirements for participation in the cooperative include minimum traceability requirements,
required reporting of disease or production problems to the company veterinary representative (plus
concurrent notification of CIDASC in the event of a vesicular or hemorrhagic disease), and the
producer’s periodic training in disease and production measures. Cooperative company
veterinarians are trained by official veterinarians from CIDASC.
During the 2008 site visit, the team visited several individual facilities operating within an integrated
system, including farrowing farms, finishing operations, and UPLs. Some of the facilities were
involved in all phases of production and some included other species, primarily dairy cattle. All of
the farms visited followed (or were implementing) basic biosecurity measures required by the
cooperative, such as perimeter fencing, footbaths or lime, and vehicle wash stations at the entry. In
addition, representatives of the cooperative provided protective clothing and footwear. The UPLs
and the GRSC facilities maintained more intense biosecurity measures, including showering and
additional clothing requirements [11].
APHIS Evaluation of the Status of the Brazilian State of Santa Catarina 44