Call To Ban Brazilian Beef After Investigation
UK - An MEP called yesterday for a ban on imports of Brazilian beef after investigators found the use of illegal growth hormones and the illegal removal of traceability tags.Neil Parish, the Conservative chairman of the European Parliament's agriculture committee, called for the temporary ban after an investigation in Brazil by the Irish Farmers Association found that beef could have been imported from restricted areas with foot and mouth disease.
The mission found injectable growth hormones, banned in Europe, and said none of the 42 farms it saw had a full system of traceability. It said ear tags were "conjured up" days before slaughter.
The delegation also found evidence of ear tags being illegally removed. It suspects this may be allowing banned cattle to be moved into regions where exports are permitted.
An EU Food and Veterinary Office report last year highlighted concerns over ear tagging and medicine use.
A Commission spokesman said: "We have promised the Irish farmers to consider their findings."
Source: Telegraph.co.uk