Operation: Dairy plant shut down and cheese seized.

Alagoas247 - The work that began the 3rd stage of the Integrated Preventive Inspection of the São Francisco River - FPI do São Francisco -, early this Monday morning (18), resulted in the seizure of dozens of wild birds, as well as half a ton of cheese and products of animal origin, followed by the closure of a commercial establishment and the issuing of several infraction notices. 

According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, in the municipality of Monteirópolis, in the Sertão region of Alagoas, the Laticínio Sertão dairy factory was penalized with four infraction notices. The Alagoas Agricultural Defense and Inspection Agency (Adeal) penalized the company twice. All the material inside the dairy was seized: 425 kilos of mozzarella cheese, 52 kilos of curd cheese, and 320 kilos of cheese mix for preparing different types of cheese. 

According to the agricultural inspectors present at the operation, the business was operating without proper registration with the competent health authority and was using a counterfeit inspection seal. Furthermore, according to Adeal, a genuine seal guarantees the safety of the product, as its existence ensures that the company has necessarily been inspected by health authorities.

Absence of a veterinarian and recalled products.

The Regional Council of Veterinary Medicine, in turn, also issued a citation against the dairy. "The owner, Carlos Alberto Bezerra de Barros, was cited for disobeying federal law no. 5.517/68, which states that it is a serious offense to produce products of animal origin without registration with health authorities. Furthermore, the factory operates without a veterinarian," explained Mariana Macedo, the veterinarian involved in the operation. 

"It is also very important to warn the public about the risks to public health, since cheeses made without any provenance can transmit various diseases, as the healthy origin of these animals cannot be guaranteed. Among the most serious illnesses are tuberculosis and brucellosis, which can even be fatal," highlighted Mariana Macedo.

Lack of environmental permit and testimony to the police.

According to the Environmental Institute (IMA), the company was fined for not having an environmental license to operate, which constitutes a crime against the environment. The Environmental Police Battalion took Carlos Alberto to the Batalha police station. The businessman is expected to be charged in flagrante delicto with crimes against public health, the environment, and falsifying an official seal – the latter being a crime stipulated in article 296 of the Penal Code. 

Birds seized

In the open-air markets of Olho d'Água das Flores and Pão de Açúcar, dozens of wild birds were seized. The animals were in cages, and some of them showed signs of mistreatment. Birds of various species were collected, such as the Red-legged Seriema – which is endangered – the Yellow-rumped Cacique, the Yellow-bellied Seedeater, and the Blue-gray Tanager, as well as a Hyacinth Macaw. 
The birds will be sent to ecological reserves, from where they will be returned to nature.

With gazetaweb.com and press office