Call To Ban Brazilian Beef Imports
UK - Fresh demands came this week for an immediate total ban on beef imports from Brazil where a massive campaign to vaccinate cattle against an increasingly serious foot-and-mouth disease epidemic is underway.
14 May 2007
1 minute read
“It is incredible that a total ban on Brazilian beef is not already in place,” said Farmers Union of Wales vice-president, Eifion Huws, after discussing the issue with fellow delegates at a “Fairness for Farmers in Europe” meeting in Belfast.
“Last year, Brazil exported 333,000 tonnes of beef to the EU and in the first two months of this year the UK imported 4,951 tonnes from Brazil, which suggests that over a full year the total will be about 30,000 tonnes.”
According to reports, the Brazilian vaccination programme was taking place on a massive scale – involving more than 120 million cattle with the aim of securing foot-and-mouth freedom for the entire country by 2009.
Brazilian animal health authorities had already been told that the EU would impose a total ban on imports of beef by the end of the year unless standards of welfare, traceability and residue testing matched those of Europe.
“But according to an EU veterinary mission to Brazil in March, while some progress has been made since a previous inspection there are still several concerns – especially on animal health and the control and use of vaccines,” said Mr Huws.
