July 11, 2007

EU to study IFA's detrimental findings on Brazilian beef

The European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development headed by Neil Parish has invited the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) to make a detailed presentation on the findings of IFA's mission to Brazil, at a meeting in Brussels next Monday (16 July).

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

However, the move comes at a time amid reports of a rift between agriculture commissioner Marianne Fischler Boel, and the consumer safety and health commissioner Markos Kyprianou. While the health commission took no notice of the Irish report, the agriculture commissioner is said to have notified Kyprianou that the contents of the report are so dramatic that they cannot be ignored.

Walshe said allowing Brazilian beef imports are 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 failed to meet European standards.

Walshe said the IFA Livestock Chairman John Bryan -- who personally witnessed the Brazilian beef production process -- will present the details himself.

Bryan earlier said Mato Grosso meat plants which are currently exporting beef to the EU have no proper traceability, veterinary medicine controls, food-safety regulations, ear tags and other necessary sanitation controls.