11 July 2007

2 minute read

Europe

IFA President Padraig Walshe confirmed that Neil Parish, Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, has invited the IFA to make a detailed presentation on the findings of IFA’s mission to Brazil, at a meeting in Brussels on Monday next, July 16th.

Padraig Walshe said the IFA presentation to the Committee will set out the evidence which proves of non-existent or unreliable cattle traceability, widespread illegal tag removal and cutting out of tags, totally inadequate border and movement controls, ineffective FMD controls and the use of hormone growth promoters that are banned in the EU.

Mr Walshe said IFA has already presented the findings to DG Sanco and pointed out that allowing Brazilian beef imports is placing European food safety and animal health at an unacceptable risk.

He said IFA has proved that Brazilian beef is produced without proper controls and fails to meet European standards.

Padraig Walshe said the IFA Livestock Chairman John Bryan will present the facts on Brazilian beef production as he witnessed at first hand himself from his recent trip to Brazil.

John Bryan said "the mission visited farms in the state of Matto Grosso which were selling livestock for export into the EU. On these farms, there were no proper traceability or veterinary medicine controls. On some of the farms which were selling cattle for export to the EU, none of the animals had any ear tags whatsover."

He said contrary to reports from the EU Commission, the IFA did visit farms in the state of Matto Grosso that were selling livestock for export into the EU, without proper traceability or food safety controls.

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