Background
Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA) is the Union Entity that represents nationwide the agriculture, cattle raising, rural extrativism, fishing, forestry and primary agribusiness activities, conglomerating more than one million associated rural producers.

The organization congregates 27 Agriculture Federations with state representation, and more than two thousand Rural Unions with regional representation.

Its mission is to promote the development, protection and legal representation of the Brazilian rural producers, to maintain useful and permanent services to the Agriculture Federations, supporting them according to the sector's interests. Besides, CNA has as objective to search for the economical development and the elevation of the social, economical and cultural welfare of the rural producers.

CNA actions are decided by a Board of representatives, composed by the 27 Federation presidents, and executed by an elected board composed by the President, 1st Vice-President, Executive Vice-President, Secretary Vice-President and Finances Vice-President.

The organizational structure of the entity comprehends several administrative and technical support departments, working in defense of the rural producer's interests, emphasized by the following themes: agricultural and agrarian policies,  taxation, rural social security, rural employment law, environment, Internal and external trade, and Parliamentary support.

CNA supports 23 national commissions, with leaderships of the rural producers in the several segments of the Brazilian agriculture. Supported by the technical body of the entity, they search for solutions for the sector problems with the government or private organisms, as well as the formulation of modernization and efficiency proposals for the rural production.

With the objective of well informing the rural sector and the society, CNA publishes technical material, and analyses the agroeconomical moment and promotes researches on the class interest matters.

CNA works together with the Legislative Power, taking information on the sector's activities and clarifying the representatives on the social economic situation of the different rural production sectors. Maintains permanent contact with deputies and senators who integrate the Agricultural Parliamentary Group, in the National Congress supporting them on the debates of the rural area related projects and establishing a link between the producers and their representatives in the Parliament.

President of CNA-Brasil: Mr. Antônio Ernesto Werna de Salvo

Tel:       0055614241400 - 0055614241464
Fax:      0055614241490
E-mail: cna@cna.org.br
Website: www.cna.org.br

BIOGRAPHY
António Ernesto Werna de Salvo

Mr António Ernesto Werna de Salvo was elected President of the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA). He was previously president of the Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of Minas Gerais State (FAEMG) and served as Vice President of FAEMG for two consecutive terms. While Vice President of FAEMG Mr de Salvo presided over its Technical Commission on Beef Cattle.

He was elected President of the Inter American Confederation of Farmers and Livestock Producers (CIAGA) in the year of 1997. CIAGA congregates the farmers' organizations of the Americas.

In addition to the posts held of President of CNA and CIAGA, Mr. de Salvo, presides over the Deliberative Council of Brazil's National Service for Rural Vocational Training (SENAR). He is also an active member in a number of national councils and committees which were set up to address issues ranging from the environment to the land tenure structure of the country.

Mr. de Salvo is a graduate in Agronomy from the Rural University of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. A farmer and cattle breeder in his native town of Curvelo, Minas Gerais, Mr. de Salvo, owns and manages a land property by the name of "Fazenda Canoas". He has won wide international recognition in the field of guzera cattle breeding. The excellence of the cattle bred on his ranch as well as his expertise in the field of cattle breeding have entitled Mr. De Salvo to become a member of both, Brazil's National Cattle Judges Society and the Technical Council for the Genealogical Registration Service of the Brazilian Association of Brahman Cattle Breeders, known by the acronym of ABCZ.

Mr. de Salvo has been also elected President and Vice president of the Brazilian Guzera Breeders Association and currently is a member of the Deliberative Council of ABCZ. In the year of 1997, he was honored with a decoration by ABCZ for his unique contribution in improving the cattle herd of Brazil.

Mr. de Salvo has written various technical papers on animal husbandry published by the Federal University of Minas Gerais. The highlight of his published papers is an essay that focuses 10, 20, 30 and 40 years of Guzera Cattle Breeding.

President of CNA-Brasil: Mr. Antônio Ernesto Werna de Salvo
Tel:      0055614241400 - 0055614241464
Fax:     0055614241490
E-mail: cna@cna.org.br
Website: www.cna.org.br

BIOGRAPHY
Gilman Viana Rodrigues
CNA Vice-President for International Affairs

MR. GILMAN VIANA RODRIGUES is a Civil Engineering graduate and a cattle raiser from the Northeast region of the State of Minas Gerais. He's married to Iolanda Viana Rodrigues and they have two sons and one daughter.

Since 1990, he has been the President of the Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of Minas Gerais State (FAEMG), and President of the Council of the National Service of Rural Learning (SENAR-ARMG).

He is also the Coordinator of the National Forum for International Agricultural Negotiations, a forum that congregates all Brazilian agricultural private sector, and that has as its members, besides Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA), the Brazilian Cooperatives Organization (OCB) and Brazilian Agribusiness Association (ABAG).

As CNA's Vice-President for International Affairs, Mr. Gilman Viana Rodrigues was invited by the current Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture to be the Chairman of the Chamber of International Agricultural Negotiations, a permanent federal council for discussion between the public and the private sectors. The objective of this Council is to support and follow actions for the development of activities as well as to propose solutions to the Ministry of Agriculture for the improvement of the International Agricultural Negotiations.

Tel:    00553130743048
Fax:   00553130743030
Email: gilman@faemg.org.br