Perspectivas para geração de produto a partir da compostagem de carcaças bovinas de Estabelecimento de Pré-Embarque (EPE)

Abstract

Brazil is a major exporter of beef, which continues to break records in volume. To meet the growing demand, new markets, such as the export of live cattle, have begun to develop, including in Rio Grande do Sul – RS. Pre-shipment Establishments (EPE) must be authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) to operate and bring many economic benefits to the region. However, they generate environmental impacts due to the concentration of a large number of animals on site, which can lead to the accumulation of waste such as feces and dead animals, generating odors, if preventive measures are not adopted. In view of possible demands from regulatory agencies, importing countries or consumers themselves regarding the management of waste in Brazilian EPEs, it is necessary to strategically plan alternatives. Composting is one of the alternatives, which allows the recycling of nutrients and the decomposition of organic waste in a controlled manner, transforming them into organic fertilizers. The objective of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators for the generation of a product from the composting of cattle carcasses from EPE. In order to cover the multiple dimensions of the problem investigated, different tools were used for data collection. There were two main stages: bibliometric analysis (quanti) and semi-structured interviews with three interest groups (quali), namely: EPEs, public agencies and Composting Units (UC). All interviewees signed the Free and Informed Consent Form. For the analysis of the qualitative results, the Content Analysis methodology was used. Currently, the disposal of animal carcasses is done by taking them to the mortuary chambers located on the premises of each EPE. However, this procedure occurs without any rigor or monitoring, only complying with the requirements of the official agencies. These consider the disposal of dead animals in a safe place, being met by the construction of mortuary chambers in areas away from contact with other live cattle. However, it was noted that aspects related to management and monitoring are not charged, due to lack of knowledge of the composting process. Pragmatically, both entrepreneurs of EPEs and inspection agencies have difficulty in describing composting correctly and following it to the letter. The lack of knowledge of the composting process by the stakeholders is one of the main barriers. The development of specialized UCs aimed at implementing MAPA's IN No. 48 of 2019, outside of EPEs, is an alternative in the southern region of RS and a facilitator. However, in order to generate a final product that is safe for commercialization, research on other alternatives for the removal of Specific Risk Material (SRM) also needs to be prioritized, since when it comes to commercialization of the product, the guarantee of elimination of SRM is an important condition. It is suggested that composting be evaluated in this aspect under the conditions of EPEs in RS, to outline such a procedure in a more applicable way.