UCADESA warned about the impact of the successive delays in the start of activities of the Animal Health Producers Organizations (OPSA), within the framework of the National Animal Health Plan for 2026, considering that the situation could compromise the country’s sanitary defense.
In a statement released on Tuesday, March 17, the entity expressed “deep concern” about the fact that the start of activities continues to depend on the completion of an international tender for laboratory analysis services, a process it describes as bureaucratically complex and subject to recurring postponements.
According to UCADESA, in the most favorable scenario, the OPSA should only begin operations in May, which significantly reduces the period for implementing the planned measures. The organization stresses that these structures have ensured the continuity of services and the maintenance of jobs throughout the year, despite only being able to carry out effective activity during eight to nine months.
The requirement to fully implement the sanitary plan by the end of the calendar year exacerbates, according to the same source, the operational difficulties, forcing the strengthening of teams in a context marked by a shortage of qualified professionals and the need for prolonged training.
The alert comes at a sensitive time, considering the existence of sanitary threats near the national territory. For UCADESA, it is not acceptable that animal health remains conditioned by administrative obstacles, advocating an urgent revision of procedures to ensure greater predictability and efficiency.
The organization concludes that the protection of animal health constitutes a strategic pillar for the livestock sector and for the national economy, calling for swifter action and a response more closely aligned with the needs on the ground.
