The Ministry of Agriculture places an electronic device in each of the country’s cattle heads to track and control smuggling and cattle hunting.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock executes the traceability of livestock, which consists of placing a device to monitor each of the cattle in the country.

This is one of the plans to also control cattle hunting and diseases that affect animals. Only during 2020 the disappearance of 105,323 head of cattle from the farms was reported due to death, 33,369 were slaughtered after accidents or other reasons and 15,833 were lost due to other causes such as theft.

Ranchers are also concerned that the approved tax reform does not show the resources to finance the FMD vaccination program.

Jimmy Jumbo gave an interview to this newspaper as Undersecretary of Livestock Production before being replaced this week. He is confident that resources will finally be allocated for this program that he considers vital, as it allows the country to continue to be considered FMD free with vaccination.

“The electronic device will help us control smuggling, cattle hunting. There will be checkpoints with scanners and it is verified with the mobilization guide. The numbers of the animals that are sold must be reported, they must be registered in Agrocalidad, then the movement is authorized and the guide is extended. They are going to check that the animals that move are from the correct person, the moment that does not coincide, the seizures will be made ”, he assures.

The leaders and farmers want to know what the livestock policy of the current regime will be.

We work based on what the country has and the projections. The dairy sector is one of the most critical. Milk has dropped in price. It went through a critical situation five months ago, but it is improving thanks to the fact that we carry out control operations. We have whey use issues that get into milk and other non-dairy products and are confusing consumers. There is a very strong incidence of raw milk and dairy smuggling from Colombia, especially in the period of paralysis that occurred in that country. For this we implement control operations in conjunction with the Senae (National Customs Service of Ecuador), Arcsa (National Agency for Regulation, Control and Sanitary Surveillance), SRI (Internal Revenue Service), the Prosecutor’s Office, Agrocalidad (Agency for Regulation and Phytosanitary and Zoosanitary Control). It was seized, but the problem has not been eradicated. We lack laws that are clearer to sanction. An inter-institutional agreement was created, it is in execution, we are articulating it in a better way and we will carry out a specific project regarding milk to control.

But what will be the basic solution to confront smuggling?

We also have many problems of smuggling from Colombia with the meat sector, our border is very permeable. For this, electronic traceability is implemented. The Government is subsidizing 70% of the so-called caravan earring that is used in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and many countries. This is to track from the origin to the slaughterhouse or transfer to farms, this will help a lot.

How will they avoid smuggling with this follow-up?

Traceability consists of a specific and unique number that each animal that is in the country will have. It is a special code that is assigned exclusively to each country that uses it. This system is already approved by Agrocalidad. The supplier must be approved, the device must meet various international standards for strength, durability and be from a reliable manufacturer. The application has to be done in the country so that there is no repetitiveness or misuse of the earring. Agrocalidad implemented an electronic platform called Sifae 2, which already contains many numbers. In due course, all livestock inventory will be on that platform. This will make it possible to track all animals from origin to finish and control smuggling and cattle hunting. The great benefit that the livestock owner will have by making a more efficient control of diseases and livestock management. It will also allow, in due course, to export dairy and meat products to other markets, which already have traceability to guarantee the safety and health of the products, to know that what they receive is from a healthy animal. Next year the subsidy of the device in the new program will continue, maybe no longer 70%, maybe less, but it will continue.

How many head of cattle do you plan to place the device on?

It has to be to the entire cattle herd in the country. In the last vaccination campaign (against foot-and-mouth disease), which is our best reference, around 4.3 million animals (cattle) were vaccinated. Those who are older than one year, that is, about 3.8 million, will be excluded. There is already a set amount, so maybe lower that number a bit.

Is this done just once or every year?

If we start in May of next year, then the ideal would be that when vaccinating all animals older than one year of age are being vaccinated. In the next vaccination campaign, which is at six months, detach those who have completed one year and remained unvaccinated, and thus keep the herd moderately controlled. This has to be constant to cover the animals that are growing and have this traceability system.

Why is respect for the support price of milk fixed at $ 0.42 per liter not being resolved?

Companies according to the management, if it is free of brucellosis, the amount of fat, there are some parameters, they can pay a little more, it reaches $ 0.50 or $ 0.52, it depends on the quality, but the minimum is $ 0.42. The small farmer is the one who has the most affectation. They report that they are paid $ 0.30, $ 0.32 $ 0.36 or some even less, I have no truthful information to say that such person was paid because unfortunately it is not documented. They are not regularized, they do not issue an invoice, but they are affected and we work hard to improve this system and have a more reliable price in the market. It is also the economic situation of the country. Consumption has dropped, we are seeing how we counteract the smuggler more than anything else and there is a lot of intermediary who is the one who takes the sacrifice of the poor rancher. For that we do control operations, even in the industry and we see the safety and the issue of serum that affects so much. The problem is that they put whey and sell it in popular markets as milk. There are already sanctioned for this crime. Such a liter will cost between $ 0.04 and $ 0.06 and they sell for $ 0.50, so it’s a great deal.

Where in the chain does the serum go?

The rancher does not do this. The one who does is the unscrupulous industrialist who is not regularized, it is the Creole vivacity, as we say in our country.

Livestock leaders are concerned that in the approved tax reform there is no funding for the FMD vaccination program.

The country cannot be left without a sanitary control, not only because of foot-and-mouth disease. There is swine fever and other diseases of cattle and pigs. Our FMD free status allows us to export and there are many countries that require a FMD control system for other products, which is what we have. This is controlled by Agrocalidad with five projects tied to each other, two of them are already approved and the other three are already in process. The Minister of Agriculture, Pedro Álava, has spoken with the President (of the Republic), Guillermo Lasso. I am sure that the resources will arrive because it is convenient for the country. This is as vital a program as the health or education system. The topic of foot and mouth disease is covered. Our herd, herd, has immunity until May and June of next year without problem. However, we will make an interface. We have 1.6 million doses to vaccinate animals under one year of age that did not receive the vaccine last season, to reinforce them. Those older than one year already have two doses administered, so they have sufficient immunity. I am sure the program will continue.

Ecuador is a country free of foot and mouth disease with vaccination. Why is the export of meat not finalized?

First we have to have the endorsement of the country that wants to import. They come to inspect the animals, how the health system is run and most importantly, where those animals are going to be slaughtered. The slaughterhouse has to comply with the regulations of that country. At the moment, we only meet the requirement to export meat to Iran and Bolivia. Minister Álava, seeing this panorama, makes a rapprochement with unions. The Santo Domingo Livestock Association has the initiative. The Government will have to support them to build the first slaughterhouse that meets international standards, the most demanding. So that when there are customers we already have it. There is an order from Egypt for five thousand animals. We ask Agrocalidad to request an inspection and to be able to export that number of live animals. This is a process. We have to prepare ourselves and the farmer with genetics, management systems and many good practices to export. Our livestock program is committed to improving genetics, pastures and making livestock sustainable with the environment, biopastoral systems and carbon capture. We are projecting ourselves that way to make it more profitable and competitive.

Productivity has increased minimally in recent decades. There is less livestock and there is greater production, but we do not reach the standards of five cows per hectare that are in the areas of the world with modernization.

Let’s go in parts. The cattle herd has decreased. In the Sierra they are focused on milk and in that region the number of hectares of pasture has increased, while in the Coast it has decreased. This is because in the Litoral field, cocoa and bananas are more attractive, productive and profitable, many have gone to rice and corn. We have to make a more profitable livestock, improving genetics and training that farmer. It is not only genetic. Productivity comes with handling, giving a good diet to have a meat with better prices and hopefully it can be exported. We are going to subsidize a lot of things next year with incentives. We will improve 23,000 hectares of pasture, but the rancher has to do his part. We are in a difficult situation. There will be an incentive from the Government to enter this responsible production chain. Then, the farmer has to put his counterpart.

Another disease that affects cattle is trypanosomosis. The vector that causes it is in the Costa and Oriente regions. Are you planning to address this situation?

There was a focus in Manabí (in 2017) and an agreement was signed with Agrocalidad. It is a disease that can be controlled, it is not lethal if it is treated as it should be. The farmer has to participate, be active and report immediately when he has a suspected case, so that the blood tests are done, the problem is detected in time, it is located and controlled. Lately I have not heard of cases. We have other critical diseases that must be controlled such as brucellosis, but that is what traceability is for and there must be active and direct participation of the farmer, if there is no responsible cooperation it is very difficult to eradicate. Agrocalidad has a laboratory to test for brucellosis. Once with the number it is easier to keep track of which animal tested positive. There is a lot of smuggling from Colombia and a lot of that cattle comes with brucellosis problems. These animals have to be euthanized to control the problem and eradicate this type of disease.

The leaders precisely affirm that trypanosomosis entered the country with an importation of cattle that entered eight years ago.

Yes it is an imported disease, we were free of that one, but it has not spread, I have not heard of more cases. We must not stop monitoring, we are attentive, that the farmer reports us, notify Agrocalidad to do the monitoring and isolate the area where the outbreaks occur. (I)