The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIC) of Paraguay officially presented the RETSA PY System (Registry of Establishments with Socio-environmental Traceability), an tool for socio-environmental traceability meat and leather supported by AL-INVEST Verde, funded by the European Union, through the Polytechnic Faculty of the National University of Asunción (UNA).

During the presentation, the Minister of Industry and Trade, Marco Riquelme, thanked the European Union for its cooperation and indicated that the system “...is a very useful tool for the development of the European Union...".“is now ready and in the process of registering productive units”. Thanks to RETSA PY, he added, it will be possible to know the origin of production. “and for the end consumer to have the certainty that international standards are met”. European Union Ambassador Katja Afheldt stressed that the platform “It is a concrete sign of the willingness of the Paraguayan government and its producers to position themselves as suppliers of premium products” and congratulated the country “for its commitment and determination”.

The event brought together an outstanding representation of the public and private sectors. In addition to the aforementioned authorities, it was attended by Javier Giménez, Head of the Presidential Cabinet; Daniel Prieto, President of the Paraguayan Rural Association (ARP); Juan Carlos Pettengill, President of the Paraguayan Meat Chamber; Emilio Bedoya, President of the Paraguayan Leather Chamber; Francesca Lozio Salomoni, Executive Director of Guyra Paraguay; and Andrés Ginés, Coordinator of the Socio-environmental Traceability Unit of the MIC.

Operation of the RETSA PY system

Aimed at livestock farmers and meat and leather exporters, RETSA PY will strengthen the competitiveness of key sectors of the Paraguayan economy, such as meat, by incorporating traceability, transparency and sustainability tools.

Currently, around 200 producers - representing approximately 1,500,000 head of cattle - are part of the Paraguayan Animal Traceability System (SITRAP). Also, more than 4 million cattle have individual identification (approximately 30% of the national cattle herd) thanks to the Paraguayan Animal Identification System (SIAP), implemented by the National Animal Health and Quality Service (SENACSA).

From now on, through RETSA PY, producers can register their production units. These are analysed with tools provided by international institutions, such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), and information from national public institutions. Based on this data, RETSA PY analyses the entire supply chain and generates a traceability certificate that verifies the absence of deforestation after 2020 through maps and satellite images, as well as compliance with applicable national regulations.

In this way, producers and exporters can demonstrate the environmental and legality requirements of the European Regulation 1115/2023 (EUDR), which is due to be implemented on 30 December 2026 for large companies and 30 June 2027 for micro and small companies.

About AL-INVEST Verde

AL-INVEST Verde is a European Union (EU) programme whose main objective is to promote sustainable growth and job creation in Latin America by supporting the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient and more circular economy. Through Component 2, led by FIAP in consortium with IILA, the programme provides assistance for strengthening public policies and multi-stakeholder dialogues on sustainable agricultural and value chains, environmental and labour standards, as well as sustainable trade and economic policy and regulatory frameworks.