NFU Cymru requests EU Commissioner Intervention on imported Brazilian beef

The UK and Irish farming unions is calling for intervention from Markos Kyprianou, EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, on Brazilian beef imports.

Five major countries, including Australia, New Zealand and the United States have introduced outright bans on Brazilian beef due to concerns over animal health and Foot and Mouth disease controls.

NFU Cymru President, Dai Davies said, “The UK and Irish farming unions are extremely concerned about shortcomings in the management of Foot and Mouth Disease controls and the absence of animal identification, that were reported by the Commission following the Food and Veterinary Office mission to Brazil in September 2005.

“An Irish Farmers Association visit to Brazil last month, which included a meeting with a key Brazilian Foot and Mouth expert, has only confirmed that the situation has not improved.”

Mr Davies added, “The UK farming unions and the Committee of Professional Agriculture Organisations (COPA) sought reassurances from the European Commission last autumn that they were confident that sufficient measures had been implemented to prevent Foot and Mouth disease entering Europe. We later learnt in February that the Commission had introduced additional guarantees within the animal health certificate to check that bovine animals had been properly vaccinated and that no contact with animals of a lower status had taken place.”

Mr Davies concluded, “We believe that the European Commission should urgently consider adopting stronger measures to prevent the import of animal products from Brazil that do not meet EU standards. The FVO reports, together with the IFA investigations, and the need for supplementary guarantees continues to raise questions over the suitability of fresh Brazilian beef entering Europe.