The European Union recognised the Patagonia Norte A zone as a region free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination and thus the whole of Patagonia now has the same health status.
The area called Northern Patagonia A includes part of the provinces of Río Negro, Neuquén and the Patagones district., in the extreme south of Buenos Aires.
One week after the historic agreement between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur was signed, the European bloc announced today a new regionalization for Argentina by recognizing the Patagonia Norte A zone as a foot-and-mouth disease-free zone without vaccination, which places it in the same condition as the rest of Patagonia," reported the Secretariat of Agroindustry.
With this recognition, products with the same requirements as the rest of Patagonia can be exported from Northern Patagonia, such as sheep meat and, in addition, beef without additional certification guarantees (matured and boneless).
It will also facilitate the opening process for other products of animal origin.
The national agency recalled that the rest of the Patagonian region - Southern Patagonia and Northern Patagonia B - had already been previously recognised by the EU as a region free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination.
The Secretary of Agroindustry, Luis Miguel Etchevehere, expressed his satisfaction with the results of the work carried out and highlighted the opportunities it represents for Northern Patagonia A, stating that “it is a renewed push for livestock production in this region that offers new opportunities for development and greater competitiveness.”
“It is another achievement of the government of President Mauricio Macri in its policy of intelligent opening to the world. The teamwork between the National Agroindustry, Senasa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the provincial governments and the productive sector, yields results; and will have an impact on the growth of regional economies, generating new investments, jobs and consolidating the roots in the places of production,” he added.
The process began in May 2014 when Argentina obtained official recognition from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) for the Patagonia Norte A region as a foot-and-mouth disease-free zone that does not practice vaccination. Based on this official decision, in August of that year, our country began the process of requesting bilateral recognition from the European authorities.
The European Union is one of the world's largest food importers, purchasing more than $150.000 billion worth of agricultural products annually.
This attractive and demanding market is one of the main destinations for Argentine exports. In 2018, European imports of beef and sheep meat from Argentina exceeded 500 million dollars.
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