. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/503 
25 June 2004 
 (04-2750) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
THE BRAZILIAN BOVINE AND BUBALINE IDENTIFICATION AND 
CERTIFICATION SYSTEM (SISBOV) 
 
 
Communication from Brazil
 
 
Meeting of 22-23 June 2004  
  
Background 
 
1. Animal traceability and identification are issues of growing importance for international trade 
of animals and animal products.  Although there is no t an internationally agreed definition for animal 
traceability, some countries, including Brazil, have a dopted animal identification systems as a tool for 
preventing and controlling animal diseases and promoting international trade of animal products. 
2. It is important to note that animal identificati on and traceability is not an end in itself. Under 
well-defined circumstances, and based on scientific criteria, the implementation of animal 
identification systems contributes to accurate info rmation recovery, which is useful to support 
veterinary actions to protect human and animal health. 
3. Recent sanitary events such as the dioxin crisis  and BSE have imposed huge economic costs 
to governments and consumers.  Due to unusual disse mination patterns, these emergent diseases have 
also imposed new challenges for national sanitary au thorities, mainly for prevention and control of 
disease outbreaks.  Traceability has em erged as an important aid for sanitary services to face this new 
challenge. 
4. In order to prevent risks related to di seases with different transmission patterns 
(contamination by feed from other animals of th e same species) and to provide consumers with 
assurances that animal products do not pose any ri sk to human health, countries like Brazil have 
adjusted their sanitary control systems based on th e production system as a whole.  This adjustment 
has led to the adoption of a system capable of iden tifying the origin of the cause of a sanitary event by 
establishing a link between the end product and the animal from which the product is derived. 
5. The implementation of an animal identifica tion and traceability system can also provide 
fringe benefits such as value added to animals and animal products.   
The Brazilian Bovine and Bubaline Identification and Certification System (SISBOV) 
 
6. The Brazilian Bovine and Bubaline Identificati on and Certification System (SISBOV) was 
adopted in January 2002 by Instruction Norm Nº 1/ 2002.  The SISBOV consists of actions, measures, 
and procedures to characterize the origin, the sanitary status, the production and the productivity of 
the Brazilian cattle raising system, as well as the safety of products obtained from this activity.  G/SPS/GEN/503 
Page 2  
 
 7. The legislation related to the SISBOV is applie d to the whole territory and covers all cattle 
raising farms and production facilities that pro cess bovine and bubaline products and by-products. 
8. The SISBOV is based on an individual identific ation of the animal from its birth to its 
slaughter or natural or accidental death.  All moveme nts of the animal shall be included in its record.  
The information is centralized on a single electronic database operated exclusively by the Ministry of 
Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA).  The Ministry of Agriculture is also responsible for 
accrediting private certification entities. 
9. The system was originally designed to comply with specific import requirements from some 
importing markets.  Given the sanitary and trade benefits of the system, it has been expanded 
according to a transition schedule to cover all bovi ne and bubaline production sites in Brazil.  The 
program is constantly under review due to the sp ecificity of the Brazilian production system (pasture 
feeding, number of heads, size of herds, etc.)  
International initiatives 
 
10. At its last meeting, held in Paris in May 2004, Member States of the World Animal Health 
Organization (OIE) approved a resolution on future wo rk of the organization in the field of animal 
identification and traceability.  The OIE should work in close collaboration with the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission with a view to achieve a common definition of animal traceability and also 
to propose guidelines for the de velopment of identification and traceability system adequate to 
sanitary risks. 
11. Brazil welcomes this initiative and would like to express its support to the work to be 
undertaken by the OIE and Codex Alimentarius in this field.  As already mentioned, animal 
identification and traceability systems are important tools for safeguarding animal and human health. 
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