Minister Creed has backed the call from farm organisations around the country to suspend all meat imports from Brazil with immediate effect. The move follows the discovery of evidence that a number of beef and poultry plants in Brazil allegedly bribed inspectors to overlook improper practices to facilitate export of meat unfit for human consumption.

Twenty-one plants are under investigation by the Brazilian police, out of which four are approved for exporting to the EU. On 19 March these four plants had their licences suspended, one exporting beef, two exporting poultry and one a honey by-product.

Suspend Brazilian exports to EU

Replying to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil spokesman on agriculture Charlie McConalogue, Creed said he wrote to the European Health and Food Safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis on 21 March, supporting the Commission’s suggestion to suspend imports from all Brazilian establishments approved for export to the EU.

“On 21 March I wrote to Commissioner supporting the suggestion to suspend certification from all other establishments approved for export to the EU,” he said.

A dozen countries, including Brazil's largest trading partner, China, have suspended imports of Brazilian meat as a precaution in the wake of the Operation Weak Flesh meat scandal.

Value of exports plummets

On Wednesday this week, the country’s agriculture minister Blairo Maggi revealed that Brazilian meat exports have plummeted from $60m per day to just $74,000.

On Friday, JBS, the world’s largest meat processor shut down 33 of its 36 Brazilian plants due to embargoes on exports to foreign countries. The company added that the 33 factories would resume production next week, with a 35% reduction in capacity.

Beef and poultry imports

In 2016, Ireland imported a relatively modest 22t of beef from Brazil, worth €98,000, based on CSO figures. Meanwhile we imported 3,719t of poultry from the South American country, just 3% of our total poultry imports in 2016.

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