Industry update News
Aquaculture sector seeks Brazilian government’s help

Aquaculture businesses in Brazil are calling on the country’s government to implement emergency measures that will help the sector deal with the COVID-19 crisis.

The Brazilian Association of Fish Farming (Peixe BR) along with eight state fish farming associations and a research entity told the federal government the measures are to need to meet “the challenge of maintaining the supply of quality food to the Brazilian population.”

Peixe BR and regional fish farming entities request:

• Immediate suspension of Program of Social Integration (PIS/ Contribution for the Financing of Social Security (COFINS) taxes from the feed to mitigate losses. These taxes raise the price of fish too much, unlike poultry and swine, which have no impact, raising the price for the consumer.
• Mandatory environmental licensing to release resources and difficulties for states to issue licenses prevent fish farmers from accessing costing credit. Such a measure is essential to maintain the marketing and health of consumers.
• Freeing up resources to finance fish farming without the need for environmental licensing.
• Support for the maintenance of the transit of inputs (fry and feed) for the farms and fish for the slaughterhouses.

The group said that Brazil has experienced that largest harvests in years due to the growth in the domestic market and increased exports in 2019.

“The interruption of the supply of feed and fry and the transport of fish from production farms for slaughterhouses will cause financial losses, fish mortality and shortages,” the letter to the government said.