Brazil expects the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to declare the country Foot & Mouth Disease free with vaccinations at a meeting in May, according to a recent government statement.

A successful declaration would boost the country’s prospects to export meat to new markets, the statement said.

The OIE already considers most of Brazil to be FMD-free, but the declaration would extend certification to the remote states of Amazonas, Roraima and Amapa.

Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of beef but its access to many premium markets remains limited by concerns over the introduction of FMD. Japan and Korea do not allow beef imports from Brazil, and the US has imposed a temporary ban over health and safety concerns following last year’s Brazilian meat inspection crisis.

The Brazilian government plans to launch a project to be certified FMD-free without vaccination by 2022 or 2023, agriculture minister Blairo Maggi told government-run media service Agencia Brasil in a recent broadcast.

“It will open up a very large market for beef and also for pork,” he said.