March 24, 2017

Brazil's meat industry could lose 10% of its world market share as a result of the tainted meat investigations that have led several nations to impose total or partial bans on Brazilian meat imports, the country's agriculture minister said.

Blairo Maggi on Wednesday told a joint Senate committee that it could take Brazil up to five years to recoup the lost global market share if the government does not take quick action to tamp down the scandal, Reuters reported.

A two-year investigation by the police concluded that health inspectors had been bribed to certify meat no longer fit for consumption and that additives were used to mask problems in the produce.

China, Hong Kong, the EU, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Switzerland, South Africa, Chile and Egypt, among others, have imposed either a total or partial ban on Brazilian meat. Hong Kong is the biggest market for Brazilian beef, while China is the biggest for beef and poultry overall.

South Korea, however, has lifted a temporary suspension on the distribution of chicken already imported from Brazil, after authorities had confirmed that no tainted poultry had entered the country.

Exports have been stopped from 21 meat processors under investigation, and at least 30 people have been arrested.