EU Brazilian Meat Ban in Place

IFA President Francie Gorman said the EU ban on Brazilian beef and poultry imports that is now in place is a very significant decision.

It follows the investigation in Brazil by IFA and the Farmers Journal last year where they highlighted the complete lack of controls on the sale of antibiotics, which flies in the face of the EU strategy on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). 

IFA’s permanent office in Brussels organised an intensive lobbying campaign that resulted in the EU Commission reaching a landmark conclusion in May. This upheld standards in the EU and banned Brazilian meat products over unregulated antibiotic usage.

“In that regard, it’s a significant day for public health and should reassure consumers that standards are being upheld.”

“I noted the Minister’s comments this week when he said ‘if anybody imports into Europe and can’t give the same verification that our farmers are expected to have, then they shouldn’t have product in here’.”

“This is at odds with his position earlier this year when he backed the Chair of Bord Bia, whose company was importing Brazilian beef and poultry. The Minister’s comments have served to highlight just how untenable Larry Murrin’s position as Bord Bia chair is. The Minister must address this if his comments on standards are to have any credibility,” he said. 

“The focus now has to be on public health and the stocks of Brazilian beef that are in stores across the EU. Based on what the Minister said, these stocks should be destroyed,” he said.

“We understand that there has been a degree of stockpiling of Brazilian beef within the EU before this ban came into effect. This beef cannot be fed to Irish and EU consumers. It must be recalled immediately including any beef and poultry the Bord Bia chair has in his stores,” he said.

IFA will continue to engage with the Commission to build on this issue. “If meat from Brazil is to meet EU standards there will have to be fundamental changes to their production systems and infrastructure to support this.” he said. 

He said the ban on Brazilian beef entering the EU will provide real opportunities for Irish beef over the coming months to fill the gap.

“Irish meat processors must take full advantage and move to ensure this is returned in higher beef prices as we face into the back end of the year, and over the next two to three years.”