Northern Ireland MEP Jim Nicholson has just returned from Brazil where he was the only MEP from Ireland or the UK on a delegation from the Parliament’s Agriculture Committee. He had previously visited the country a decade ago and explained to the Irish Farmers Journal what had changed in the past 10 years.

Meeting minister

The delegation of MEPs spent a half day quizzing the Minister for Agriculture Blairo Maggi. Nicholson had the opportunity to address a number of specific issues to the minister. He asked the minister what the AGRI ministry was doing to address the problems at the centre of the Brazilian agricultural industry. Nicholson said that there were concerns now over beef, poultry and fish.

Mercosur

On the political situation in Brazil and a Mercosur trade negotiation, all ministers seeking re-lection had to step down by 7 April. The minister pointed out that as he was not seeking election, he could remain in office but he did concede that EU Mercosur trade talks were tricky but progressing.

On the issue of Brexit and potential trade deal between the UK and Brazil, the Brazilian minister told Jim Nicholson that the UK was an interesting market and they were looking forward to having conversations in the future with the UK. However, he indicated that as of now, no approach had been made by the UK.

Farm and factory angle

The minister assured the delegation that growth-promoting hormones were banned in Brazil and that he shared the EU concern on the use of antibiotics.

The delegation visited a meat processing factory and a large beef farm, both of which were excellent as expected given that they were chosen to host the visit. Jim Nicholson, who farmed in Co Armagh prior to becoming an MEP, was particularly impressed by the farm visit. Here, he observed cattle grazing in 20cm high grass that had been reseeded just 32 days previously. The farm also took 111,000 cattle to the factory in 2017, which is a quarter of the entire Northern Ireland kill.

Reflecting on the visit, Jim Nicholson believes that the production capability of Brazil is huge and beef farming is only fourth choice behind cotton, soya and maize production where two crops per annum are the norm. However, he believes issues remain with their official controls and evidently there has been corruption in the industry as demonstrated in Operation Weak Flesh.