Brazil Beef Banned
UK - The Ulster Farmers’ Union has welcomed the EU Commission decision to impose an import ban on Brazilian beef imports. It is estimated that imports from 97% of Brazil’s beef units will be banned from the end of January.
24 December 2007
1 minute read
The UFU says the introduction of the ban has vindicated the genuine concerns raised by local farmers about double standards.
UFU President Kenneth Sharkey said; “After endless lobbying we are finally making progress on Brazilian beef. We must have fair play for local farmers; they produce beef to the highest standards and nothing less can be tolerated from imports, not least on the issue of traceability. Official EU Food and Veterinary Office Reports, evaluating animal health procedures in the Brazilian livestock industry, have vindicated our calls for European action against Brazilian beef imports. We won’t tolerate double standards in the supply of food to the public and we now intend discussing the implications of this decision with the UK supermarket sector. We have repeatedly raised our concerns about Brazilian beef standards with the multiples, the EU Parliament and EU Commissioners”.
Kenneth Sharkey added; “Foot and Mouth Disease is ongoing in Brazil and the country’s traceability system is well below the standard which local farmers must by law comply with. We will be studying closely the details of these new restrictions to ensure any imports which are brought into this country are of equivalent standard to local produce”.
Recent official EU Commission Reports assessing the Brazilian beef industry outlined a range of concerns about the Brazilian beef industry including:
- No systematic audit system for animal health has been established either at State or Central level;
- There was no programme to monitor the efficacy of Foot and Mouth Disease vaccination in 2007;
- The Report calls into question the reliability of the system to determine that animals have been resident in a Foot and Mouth free region for 90 days before export (an EU requirement);
- EU Inspectors discovered that meat from an animal which was not eligible for export, had been exported to the EU. The Report stated that some Official Brazilian Veterinarians were not familiar with the traceability system in place;
Kenneth Sharkey said; “None of these circumstances would be tolerated in Northern Ireland farming. There is no room for error with consumer protection or double standards on rules which farmers must adhere to”.
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