06 July 2023 - Representatives of the European Commission, the State of Minas Gerais and the Federal University of Minas Gerais participated in a virtual meeting where the advances in the IT platform were presented. Selo Verde-MG and the next steps in its development were discussed.
The opening was given by Ingrid Jenezova, programme manager for AL-INVEST Verde in the Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) of the European Commission, who highlighted the importance of a public traceability system to comply with the socio-environmental requirements of, among others, the Deforestation and forest degradation free supply chains regulation and promote sustainable trade in coffee and other agri-food products between Brazil and the European Union.
João Ricardo Albanez, Deputy Secretary of State for Agriculture, Livestock and Supply of Minas Gerais, and Cezar Augusto Fonseca e Cruz, Director of the Directorate of Conservation and Recovery of Ecosystems of the State Forest Institute (IEF), then took the floor, highlighting the importance of the work developed so far with this platform, which has been characterised by the active involvement of the productive sector.
Professor Britaldo Silveira Soares Filho, from the Remote Sensing Centre (CSR) of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), and Felipe Nunes, director of the Territorial Intelligence Centre (CIT) and researcher at the UFMG, presented the functioning of the platform and its application to the COFFEE INDUSTRY. CIT and CSR are the creators of the platform. Selo Verde in the state of ParáThey are now cooperating in the development of the same platform also in the state of Minas Gerais, thanks to the support of the European Union's AL-INVEST Verde programme.
Britaldo and Nunes underlined the importance of Selo Verde in analysing the compliance with socio-environmental standards and, in particular, the absence of deforestation linked to production, in compliance with the Deforestation and Forest Degradation Free Supply Chains Regulation.
All participants highlighted the progress achieved through the Selo Verde platform and the European Commission showed its strong commitment to continue supporting the implementation of Selo Verde in Minas Gerais.
Selo Verde
Through Component 2 of AL-INVEST Verde, the European Union supports the implementation in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais of the Selo Verde traceability platform, a free public platform that allows the verification of the socio-environmental compliance of agricultural products for each rural property in Minas Gerais. With the support of AL-INVEST Verde, it will be active for the coffee, beef and soy sectors.
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.
Further information: www.alinvest-verde.eu
