EN 
PT_BR 
The search for space in the international market for Brazilian dairy products became central to discussions in the Rio Grande do Sul dairy chain this Thursday (14), during the Seminar on Health in Dairy Cattle, held at Fenasul Expoleite 2026, in Esteio (RS). The event, promoted by the Fund for Animal Health Development and Defense (Fundesa) and the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Sustainable Production and Irrigation (Seapi), brought together representatives from the government, industry, producers and foreign trade specialists.
Photo: Fernando Dias
At the opening of the seminar, the state secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Sustainable Production and Irrigation, Márcio MadalenaHe argued that the Brazilian dairy sector needs to broaden its focus beyond import protection and build an export-oriented strategy. "We've discussed a lot about safeguarding our milk producers against imports, but we have a new frontier, which is exports. A powerhouse in the meat market, like Brazil and Rio Grande do Sul, cannot be content with not also being a powerhouse in dairy farming," he stated.
According to the secretary, sanitary improvements are one of the pillars for enabling the entry of Brazilian milk into markets.
Photo: Arnaldo Alves
more demanding. He highlighted that the sector faces pressure from production costs, but argued that the sanitary issue cannot be a limiting factor for international competitiveness. “We know the difficulties of production costs. But, because of sanitary problems, we will not stop being exporters. We will be a benchmark, as we already are in other production chains,” he said.
Integration between supply chain and government
The seminar focused discussions on sanitary requirements, traceability, competitiveness, and access to international markets. The organizers' assessment is that dairy exports require coordinated action between the public sector, producers, and industry.
During the meeting, the former Secretary of Agriculture of Santa Catarina, Airton Spies, presented the plan to incentivize dairy exports developed by the Southern Brazilian Dairy Alliance.
Photo: Shutterstock
The federal agricultural tax auditor Rodrigo Pereira, from the Regional Superintendence of the Ministry of Agriculture, presented an overview of milk production in Rio Grande do Sul.
Access to international markets was discussed by the auditors. Bernardo Todeschini and Leonardo Isolan, who acted as agricultural attachés in Europe and discussed sanitary and commercial requirements imposed by importers.
Representatives of Agriculture Federation of the State of Rio Grande do Sul and of the Federation of Agricultural Workers in Rio Grande do Sul They presented the producers' perspective on the competitiveness and costs of the activity. The industry participated through... Dairy and Dairy Products Industry Union of Rio Grande do Sul, from the Association of Small Dairy Producers of Rio Grande do Sul and of the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of the State of Rio Grande do Sul.
The seminar content was recorded and will be available on the official channel of Seapi on YouTube.
