Brazil's cross-check system for beef exports to the EU passes the mark for product safety, according to a new EU Commission report.

The report states that there are no grounds for amending the current regime in place for EU imports of Brazilian beef. Meat entering the EU market is generally safe despite few shortcomings such as the need to upgrade federal diagnosis laboratories to improve the reliability of serological tests.

Brazilian authorities have so far maintained robust foot and mouth disease prevention measures which include residency and movement control, compulsory cattle identification, as well as meat de-boning and maturation, the report revealed.

Brazil's overall good food safety procedures for beef exports cast a positive light on the country's prospects on improved market penetration to the EU.

So far, around 1,900 Brazilian cattle farms are allowed to export to the EU. However, the country needs 5,000 approved farms to reach equilibrium between European demand and Brazilian beef supplies, as estimated by the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association.