Porto Alegre, Brazil, 14 September 2026 (IICA) – Officials from Brazil, Argentina and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) held working meetings in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul to deepen an agenda of cooperation on animal health.
Both countries are major food producers and exporters, and agriculture is a driving force of their economies, as well as an important source of employment.
The President of Argentina’s National Service for Agrifood Health and Quality (SENASA), María Beatriz “Pilu” Giraudo, discussed areas of joint work with the Secretary for Agricultural Defense of Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Goulart. Both underscored the countries’ compliance with high health and quality standards in production.
The Argentine official also learned about the operations of the Animal Health Protection and Development Fund of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (FUNDESA-RS). The fund, which serves as the agricultural sector’s animal health insurance mechanism in this southern Brazilian state, was created 20 years ago and is now a national benchmark.
During Expointer, one of Latin America’s most important agricultural, industrial and agricultural machinery fairs, held on the outskirts of Porto Alegre, Giraudo met with FUNDESA-RS President Rogério Kerber and his team, as well as with the Secretary of Agriculture of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Márcio Madalena. IICA Representatives in Argentina, Fernando Schwanke, and Brazil, Gabriel Delgado, also participated.
Joint cross-border actions
During the meeting, participants discussed joint prevention and control actions along the border—Rio Grande do Sul borders the Argentine provinces of Corrientes and Misiones—as well as joint initiatives for training health services and monitoring risks.
Animal production plays a crucial economic and social role in Rio Grande do Sul, and FUNDESA-RS is essential to maintaining its competitiveness, as it ensures that the state has rapid access to funds to respond to crises, without relying solely on the government.
It is a private fund managed jointly by the production sector and the state, which provides financial and operational support for animal health protection. The fund compensates producers in cases where mandatory sanitary slaughter is required due to disease and carries out prevention and surveillance activities.
It also supports the official veterinary service by providing resources, equipment, infrastructure, and personnel. FUNDESA-RS carried out emergency actions that proved crucial in 2024, when the state of Rio Grande do Sul was severely affected by flooding, and again in 2025, during an avian influenza outbreak.
During their visit to Expointer, officials from Brazil and Argentina also participated, alongside colleagues and producers from Paraguay and Uruguay, in a technical seminar organized by the Federation of Rural Associations of MERCOSUR (FARM) and IICA. Participants affirmed that regulatory harmonization within the bloc and coordination on animal health are strategic to enhancing regional competitiveness and its integration into international markets.
They highlighted, in particular, the need to simplify procedures for producers and businesses and to develop common positions based on scientific evidence in order to strengthen production and agri-food trade in the countries.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
