Rosario, 26 July 2023. The Government of Santa Fe, in Argentina, and the AL-INVEST Verde Component 2 presented the second phase of the joint action for the sustainability of the beef and leather value chain. Through this action, the provincial strategy for a public traceability and certification system deforestation-free beef and leather production and a deforestation-free incentive scheme for chain actors to join this system.
During the presentation, the Minister of Production, Science and Technology, Daniel Costamagna, indicated that advancing in the traceability and certification of the meat value chain allows the province of Santa Fe "...".to be at the forefront of international market requirements and accompany production, guaranteeing the positioning of our products in the markets".
The Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Erika Gonnet, underlined that "these actions are key, as they allow us to adding value to our exports, taking into account the requirements of the European Union".
In this regard, the director of Component 2, Emilio Calvo Roldán, referred to the entry into force of the new EU regulation on deforestation and forest degradation free supply chains and stressed that Santa Fe "has a solid basis for its compliance", as the province is "a pioneer in the progress on traceability and certificationthrough the deforestation-free meat and hides programme that we are working on together.
Adding value
The province of Santa Fe and AL-INVEST Verde started their collaboration at the end of 2022, before the approval of the aforementioned regulation, in order to consolidate the province's insertion in sustainable supply chains on a global scale and position its production in the international market, by adding value to its products.
In the first phase of the action for the strengthening the Santa Fe meat value chainA review of the current socio-environmental policies implemented in the province of Santa Fe was carried out and a reflection on traceability systems and their relationship with a reduced risk of deforestation was promoted. Meetings were also held with provincial technical teams and public and private sector actors to gather information on the traceability actions implemented in the province, with a view to the development of the second phase of the action.
The action is implemented through the Ministry of Production, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and the Secretariat for International Cooperation and Regional Integration. The presentation event of the second phase was attended by provincial officials, representatives of the public and private sector, chambers and associations of the Santa Fe meat value chain, the Regional Director of INTA and SENASA, the Rosario Stock Exchange and representatives of tanneries and meat processing plants. The presentation was also accompanied by the heads of the Argentine Wildlife Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
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 towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and more circular economy. Through Component 2, led by FIIAPP in consortium with IILA, the programme provides assistance for strengthening public policy 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.
