From the Newsroom
São Paulo – A strike by agricultural inspectors is causing daily losses of US$ 32 million to the Brazilian poultry industry alone, informed Agriculture Ministry executive secretary José Amauri Dimarzio. According to the secretary, the government is after alternatives that may generate an agreement with the category, responsible for inspection of all vegetable and animal products exported and imported by Brazil.
Dimarzio stated that he has informed the Planning Ministry and Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of sector worry with the strike, but has also stated that the budget and the financial area cannot accept all the striker demands. "We presented the National Association of Federal Agricultural Inspectors with a concrete proposal, but they understand that it is not yet close enough to what they want, and decided to stick to the strike."
The federal inspectors started the strike on Monday (15/03). Among their demands are average salary increases of 30%, so as to bring their salaries to the same level as those of federal inspectors in other areas. If this was the case, the impact on the pay sheet would be around US$ 86 million, but the government is proposing an increase that would have a US$ 21 million impact on the pay sheet. Amauri Dimarzio stated that he is awaiting a counter proposal.
Dimarzio pointed out that coffee, poultry, cocoa, and cattle exporters in various states are going to court against the government so as to reduce their losses. "We are forecasting an avalanche of court orders, which is very tiring," stated the secretary. A court order obliges the federal inspector to issue sanitary certificates for export. Up to now, due to the strike, at least 10 vessels are stopped in southern Paranaguá port.
The secretary did not discard the possibility of the federal government issuing a Provisional Measure (MP) transferring the competence of inspecting agricultural products to states and municipalities. "If we reach a chaos situation in agribusiness production and trade, the government is going to issue an MP. Various governors have already made their technicians available. But we want to fix the situation and reach an agreement as soon as possible," he stated.
