The debate over the future of foot-and-mouth disease vaccination in Paraguay continues to spark discussions and divergent positions among producers, industry, and authorities. Ramiro Maluff, president of the Paraguayan Association of Meat Producers and Exporters (Appec), said in an interview with Valor Agro that lifting vaccination in the short term would be a decision “risky and lacking technical support,” and that the worst that could happen is for the country to move forward “driven by political or institutional pressures.”
The leader expressed concern over the lack of consistency in the messages from some key sector players. He recalled that while the global president of Minerva Foods defended the continuation of vaccination, the local subsidiary issued a statement that sounded closer to the official stance of Senacsa, which proposed lifting it within immediate timeframes.
“Thinking that stopping vaccination will make cattle prices rise is an illusion. Reality shows the opposite. What matters today are bilateral relations and tariff conditions,” he explained.
