The milk production chain today is one of the most complex activities in Brazilian Agribusiness, with social, economic and environmental importance. The country is the fourth largest producer in the world, with growth of 2% per year, employing more than 4 million workers, whether in industries or in the field, with primary production.
On June 1st, World Milk Day is celebrated, and it is a good opportunity to pay attention to this sector that has gone from the status of importer to that of exporter, with the potential to become, in the near future, the first in the world. world ranking.
“The milk chain in Brazil has become more professional, achieved new health and quality parameters, and gained competitiveness in the world market. Much is due to the work of veterinarians and zootechnicians. There was an evolution in quality in a very short time, with the use of new technologies, improvement of breeds, improved nutrition, in addition to stricter inspection and inspection rules”, says the president of the Regional Council of Veterinary Medicine of the State of São Paulo (CRMV -SP), Mário Eduardo Pulga.
The Brazilian Society of Food and Nutrition (SBAN) highlights that milk and its derivatives constitute a group of foods with great nutritional value, as sources of proteins of high biological value, vitamins and minerals – mainly calcium.
Although Brazilians are consuming more milk and dairy products, per capita consumption is still below the recommended level (three servings of dairy products per day). The average Brazilian consumes just 166 liters of milk per year. In 2020, however, growth in the consumption of dairy products is expected.
In addition to the food itself, the chain is made up of more than 90 products that contain milk or its protein. And care in animal husbandry and health inspection of raw materials, industries and small producers are fundamental, mainly to guarantee the health of the population, avoiding the transmission of zoonoses.
With the regulation of the Selo Arte, which allows artisanal products of animal origin that follow good agricultural and health practices to be sold throughout the national territory, the sector will also benefit. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, around 170,000 artisanal cheese producers will be directly positively affected.
Sector potential
Just to give you an idea of the importance of the production chain, according to the “Milk Yearbook 2019”, from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), milk is produced in 99% of Brazilian cities, with 1.3 million producers and around two thousand legalized dairy industries. In 2018 alone, according to Embrapa Dairy Cattle, 33.8 million liters were produced, with 70% of total production, around 24.4 million liters, inspected and sold by the industry. In 2019, it is estimated that the sector closed with growth of 2.5%.
With a domestic market with growth potential, Brazilian exports also stand out with the opening of the Chinese and Egyptian markets last year. In 2019, according to data from the Foreign Trade Secretariat, exports totaled 22.5 thousand tons of dairy products, an increase of 10.4% compared to the same period in 2018. This is due to the increase in shipments of fluid milk, butter and cream milk. Imports had a lower volume of 7.2%.
For the veterinarian and also president of the Food Technical Committee (CTA) of CRMV-SP, Ricardo Calil, due to this dimension, the chain needs to receive special attention in all areas, in order to realize the potential that Brazil has to be a major milk exporter. “We need to encourage cooperative programs and milk pasteurization to support small producers.”
“On World Milk Day, we have to clap and thank all producers, especially small ones, who make an effort, waking up early and working daily to guarantee milk and its by-products on the consumer's table. Always count on veterinarians and zootechnicians”, emphasizes the president of CRMV-SP.
Advantages for A2A2 production
Available in countries such as New Zealand, Australia and the United States, A2A2 milk is closer to joining the list of animal products on the Brazilian market. At the Institute of Animal Science (IZ), linked to the São Paulo Department of Agriculture and Supply, research started in 2014 points to this.
The genetic work, based on animal crossing and DNA analysis, resulted in a herd of 100 cows carrying the gene that causes animals to produce milk containing A2 beta-casein which, according to studies, reduces the risk of coronary problems, allergies and milk intolerance syndrome.
Even taking into account that research on A2A2 milk abroad began much earlier, in 2000, Brazil stands out for the majority of its cattle.
“The advantage is that in the country, the Gir and Girolando breeds predominate in the dairy herd, whose gene prevalence is 80%, while in other countries the Dutch predominate, which has an incidence of 50% of the gene”, says Dr. Enilson Geraldo Ribeiro, zootechnician researcher at IZ.
Chain on alert
The president of CTA/CRMV-SP, Ricardo Calil, states that the production chain is particularly alert at this time due to the arrival of the coronavirus in the interior, where the majority of producers are located. “The milk chain, more specifically where the raw material is located, generally does not work with many people, and in the midst of a pandemic, there may be a lack of labor,” he says.
Inspections are also compromised, with visits being postponed until the second semester or even a reduction in frequency, worries veterinarian Wander Dias, member of CTA/CRMV-SP.
For Dias, at this moment it is even more important to have the technical manager present and to reinforce good practices in livestock and dairy products so that there are no deviations in the quality standards of final products, especially at this time when international markets are being conquered.
Brazilian cheese exports have grown by 65% in the last three years and, with the qualification of 24 establishments for export to the Chinese market, the sector is expected, according to Mapa, to export US$ 4.5 million in cheese.
World Milk Day
World Milk Day was established in 2001 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN), which chose June 1st to celebrate the important contributions of the dairy sector to sustainability, economic development, subsistence and nutrition. In 2018, the date was marked by the holding of 586 events, in 72 countries, including Brazil.
Source: Notícias Agrícolas
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