August 23, 2007

Brazil hopes OIE to lift beef export ban by yearend

Brazil's Agriculture Ministry hopes that the World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE, will lift an export ban on Brazilian beef by the end of this year, Jorge Caetano Jr., director of the ministry's Department of Animal Protection, said Wednesday (August 22).

Beef from three Brazilian states has been banned by the OIE because of outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in 2005 and 2006. As a consequence of the OIE ban, the European Union also has banned beef coming from these states.

"The OIE gave us a September 2007 timeline to prove that our cattle are free from foot-and-mouth disease," Caetano said. "And we will present all the necessary documentation and hope that a OIE decision to lift the ban will be taken still in 2007."

Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil's No. 1 ranching state, had an outbreak of the disease in October 2005. When cattle transported from Mato Grosso do Sul to the state of Parana also were found to be infected, the OIE ban was expanded to Parana. The OIE also banned beef from the state of Sao Paulo because it imports much of its cattle from Mato Grosso do Sul.

The last case of foot-and-mouth disease was registered in April 2006 in Mato Grosso do Sul, according to Caetano.

Brazilian ranchers and beef exporters have alleged that the EU's ban on Brazilian beef has nothing to do with health fears, but rather with market protection, pointing out that UK beef exporters compete against Brazil in the EU beef market.

Brazil is the world's No. 1 beef exporter.

The country is expected to export 2.6 million tonnes of fresh beef to world markets in 2007, up from 2.4 million last year, according to industry figures.

Russia and Egypt are Brazil's top two beef export markets.