Food Production Chain Identification and Traceability Systems: an analysis considering the perspective of a safe beef offer

Beef is an important segment in the Brazilian agribusiness, with high share in the country exports value. This article aims at a discussion about the consistency of the Brazilian legislation that supports the Cattle and Buffalo Identification and Certification System (SISBOV), compared to the legislation of some pioneering countries that have been using identification and traceability systems in food production chains. The analysis, based upon Institutional Economics, involves an approach of the structure of the domestic cattle production, using secondary data made available by MAPA, SECEX/MDIC, IBGE, FAO and ABIEC, besides documents that establish the food safety policy, from MS and MAPA. The international legislation study was carried out from official documents from the United States of America, Canada and the European Union (EU). SISBOV was developed to comply with the exigencies imposed by the EU to import Brazilian beef. The adherence to that system involves several adjustments in the management of the elements of the beef production chain to make it feasible to export to the EU. From the point of view of its structure, that system complies with the exigencies of the European market, even though it seems to be more feasible to wealthier producers and slaughters. Further to that, SISBOV is, potentially, an inhibiting mechanism to occasional illegal practices such as clandestine slaughters and tax evading.