The integrated control operation carried out by the National Service for Agrifood Health and Quality (SENASA) of Argentina and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) of Brazil on the border between Misiones and Santa Catarina has begun to be observed by other countries in the region interested in learning about its operation, the Argentine health agency reported.
This is the northeastern border of Argentina, in the Integrated Control Area (ACI) Bernardo de Irigoyen – Dionisio Cerqueirawhere officials from both countries (Argentina and Brazil) carry out, within the ACI, their respective controls, whether customs, immigration, health and transport, under the TA/TVF scheme, with a single headquarters in Argentina for customs control and a single headquarters in Brazil for cargo control.
Based on its operation, the statement explains, a delegation from the National Customs Directorate of Uruguay visited the ACI with the aim of learning about the operation and benefits of the joint work model, with a view to replicating this experience at the border crossings of Uruguay.
During the visit, staff from the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service (Receita Federal) presented the operational procedures and the Joint Inspection Arrangement (ACI) project, detailing the various stages of the joint inspection process. Meanwhile, agents from the Corrientes-Misiones Regional Center of the National Agri-Food Health and Quality Service (SENASA) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MAPA) explained the operation of the truck inspection system, the coordinated inspection process, and the collaborative work between the different regulatory agencies.
Uruguay's National Director of Customs, Joaquín Serra, highlighted the experience of working together and expressed his country's interest in replicating this integrated control model at strategic border crossings in MERCOSUR.
It is worth remembering that the proper functioning of Integrated Control Areas contributes to strengthening coordinated border management and regional integration, through more efficient use of resources, facilitating the transit of people and goods, and simplifying customs procedures in trade and transport matters.
In this context, the meeting also included the participation of representatives from the Argentine Customs and the Argentine National Gendarmerie.
The official source recalled that the ACI, located between Bernardo de Irigoyen (Argentina) and Dionisio Cerqueira (Brazil), began operating in December 2023. In this shared space, SENASA and MAPA carry out sanitary controls and inspections of products of animal and plant origin that enter, leave or transit with an International Transit Permit.
The dry port in the state of Santa Catarina, managed by the company Multilog, operates with agents from the Corrientes-Misiones Regional Center of SENASA (National Agri-Food Health and Quality Service). Nearby goods pass through this border crossing. 70% of the region's agri-food cargo, as specified by the Argentine health agency.
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