June 29, 2009
Brazil to tackle meat traceability issues
The Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture has submitted an action plan to the EU, outlining the measures that will be taken to address the deficiencies encountered during the EU veterinary mission visit to Brazil in January.
The main focus of the plan is to place higher scrutiny on certifying companies under Brazil's cattle identification system, banning certifiers which do not meet traceability auditing standards, the ministry said.
The EU placed a partial ban on Brazil in February 2008, though the number of cattle farms approved by the bloc has been rising steadily to more than 1,000 farms. But the farm approving process is slow, as the government lacks an adequate number of technicians.
The Brazilian Beef Exporters' Association estimates that about 5,000 farms are needed to restore the trade volume to pre-ban levels. But small price premiums for traced cattle paid by slaughterhouses over non-traced cattle are resulting in low traceability interest among farmers, which further slows Brazil's re-entry to the EU.
