All or Nothing for Brazilian Beef

UK - The Ulster Farmers’ Union is calling on the EU Commission to ensure all Brazilian beef imports are of equivalent standards to EU production, otherwise an outright ban will have to be imposed.
calendar icon 4 February 2008
clock icon 1 minute read

Strict new import regulations came into force this week which will severely restrict Brazilian beef imports. However instead of an anticipated 300 Brazilian farms coming forward for export accreditation, Brazilian authorities have put forward the details of over 2,500 farms.

UFU President Kenneth Sharkey said; “We are not prepared to tolerate double standards when it comes to food imports and numerous veterinary reports have highlighted serious shortcomings in the Brazilian beef industry. We welcome Mariann Fischer-Boels comments this week that animal health and food safety standards are not negotiable.

All of the applicant farms must be audited to ensure they comply with the standards which our producers must meet. Commissioner Kyprianou commented this week that the Commission may have to rely on ‘guarantees’ from Brazilian authorities about the status of the farms. That would not be acceptable to the local farming industry and if equivalent standards can’t be confirmed by audit, then an outright ban on Brazilian beef imports will be the only acceptable solution”.

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