EU backs Brazilian food safety procedures

A new EU Commission report, based on a recent mission in Brazil by EU technicians highlighted that Brazil's cross-check system for properties exporting to the EU are sufficient to guarantee the product's safety.

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

According to the Commission's report, Brazilian authorities have adopted a robust foot and mouth disease controls, including residency and movement controls, and compulsory cattle identification, as well and meat de-boning and maturation.

The reports' positive view on Brazilian food safety procedures for beef exports to the EU sets an encouraging outlook for Brazil's prospects on improving access to this market.

Currently, around 1,900 Brazilian cattle farms are approved to export to the EU. However, the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association estimates that the country needs 5,000 approved farms to reach equilibrium between European demand and Brazilian EU approved beef supplies.