Percepção de profissionais de diferentes setores em relação aos fatores de risco utilizados para fiscalização de fabricantes de produtos destinados à alimentação animal no Brasil

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to consult experts, working in private companies, academia and government, so that they could give their opinion regarding the risk factors and their subclasses, which are used by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil, in the assessment and characterization model. risk of the establishment. As of 2020, Brazil began to adopt a risk-based inspection model for manufacturers and fractionators of animal feed products, using a form to be applied to companies, aiming to obtain the intrinsic risk, which added to the regulatory risk, will give the risk of the establishment, so that minimum inspection frequencies can be calculated. The methodology adopted was divided into two axes, the first, of an exploratory nature, through a bibliographical review to survey the main dangers and risks that can contaminate products intended for animal feed and the protective or regulatory measures adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) in Brazil, and by regulatory bodies in other countries. In the second axis, the manual adopted for risk-based inspections in Brazil was analyzed, from which the factors used by MAPA were extracted, to prepare a questionnaire that was applied to 151 respondents, representatives of the different links in the chain (Academy, Government and Private Companies), which attributed a degree of importance to risk factors and their subclasses. The questionnaire, consisting of sixty-one questions, was sent online to the experts. The scores assigned to each of the intrinsic risks, which represent factors and subclasses of risk, in the perception of the respondents, were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance - Anova. Statistical analyzes were performed using Jamovi v software. 2.3. The risk factors that received the highest Q2 scores (median) were “authorization to use medications” (Q2 = 10) and “possibility of using antimicrobial performance enhancers, ractopamine and anticoccidials” (Q2 = 9). Four factors received a Q2 value equal to 8, and the factor indicated as the lowest risk (volume of production/commercialization) received a score of 7. When comparing the results, according to the profile of the respondents (academia, government or private company), no statistical differences (p<0.05) were observed in any of the interactions, therefore, the scores given by the different groups are equal, based on the Kruskal Wallis tests. Comparing the results of this research with the manual adopted by MAPA, there is an inconsistency in terms of order of relevance, and when comparing with the methodology adopted by regulatory bodies in other countries, it demonstrates that there are points of convergence, but also divergences in the assigning weights or grades to risk factors. However, it should be noted that all the risk factors assessed are important and that together with the regulatory risk assessment, they will form the final assessment, and the results obtained in this work aim to support analyzes to determine the frequency with which the establishment should be inspected. , demonstrating the importance of adopting risk-based assessment methodologies, which must be flexible to changes and adjustments, taking into account technological advances or the emergence of new hazards.