Brazilian Beef Backtracks Towards Europe

BRAZIL - Brazil submitted a new list of producers to the EU last week, which it believed would comply with EU safety and traceability standards.

22 February 2008

1 minute read

South America

At the meeting, the delegation from the Secretary of Agricultural Defence from Brazil and the EU Commission of Animal Health also agreed on details regarding the next European sanitary mission, scheduled for 25 February 2008, according to this week’s World Beef Report.

The mission in February will evaluate whether the listed establishments comply with European sanitary standards. The EU is also expected to focus on a documentary study of Brazil’s trace-back system (Sisbov).

Reportedly, the EU initially said it would not authorise any more than 300 farms for exports to the EU. The Brazilian Meat Monitor this week noted that Brazil believes the EU’s insistence on an arbitrary limit of 300 farms would be incompatible with the World Trade Organisation laws.

Brazilian beef exports to the EU were banned on 1 February 2008, with the Brazilian agricultural minister reportedly saying that the current EU embargo on Brazilian beef could last for four months.