Irish Warn over Latest Brazilian Export List

IRELAND - Irish Beef producers have called for caution over the latest list of Brazilian beef farms that have been submitted to the EU for export approval.

25 February 2008

2 minute read

Europe

Irish Farmers Association President Padraig Walshe said the latest reports that the Brazilian authorities had submitted a new list of farms to the EU Commission must be treated with the highest degree of suspicion by Commissioner Kyprianou.

He said Commissioner Kyprianou must hold firm against the Brazilians and maintain the current ban.

Mr Walshe said the Brazilians have proven themselves to be totally unreliable and have repeatedly failed to meet previous commitments to correct a long list of failures on meeting EU standards.

He said that the Brazilian Agriculture Minister Reinhold Stephanes severely criticised Brazilian beef exporters in the Brazilian senate and admitted they had exported untraceable animals to the EU.

During the session in the senate, Minister Stephanes criticised certification in Brazil saying the situation was "scandalous".

The IFA President said the Brazilian beef exporters association ABIEC also admitted the major deficiencies with standards in Brazil saying that its good that the Minister recognises the deficiencies in the traceability.

Their President Mr MArcus Vinicius Pratini de Moraes, a former Minister for Agriculture admitted that untraceable meat has been exported to the EU and slaughterhouses would have to get ready for stricter regulations.

He said many of the farms in Brazil are not ready for these new demands.

Mr Walshe said: "A number of weeks back Brazil submitted a list of 2,500 farms in direct contravention of the Commission's decision of January 2007.

"When this list was thrown out by the EU, it is understood over a week ago they submitted another list of around 600 beef ranches which was also reported as being rejected by the Commission."

This week Mr de Moraes has embarked on a trade mission to the Middle and Far East to boost exports to the region.

Mr Pratini said that as Brazil consumes just 74 per cent of its domestic production, this would not be enough to compensate for the loss of the European market.

Mr Pratini is hoping to extend the MIddle East business that was worth $422 million last year and he is also hoping to use the Olympic Games as a target to boost exports to China.