Fresh calls for Brazil beef ban
The Brazilian beef debate crossed into the domestic political arena this week, with Fine Gael TDs calling for a complete ban on beef imports from the South American nation.
Opposition deputies have also accused the Minister for Food, Trevor Sargent, of avoiding the issue.
Fine Gael Wicklow TD, Andrew Doyle, said Minister Sargent had remained "strangely silent" even though there was what he termed "damning evidence" of low standards in the production of Brazilian beef.
"Can the Minister for Food stand over the importation of beef produced to unacceptably low standards when other countries, like the US, Japan, Australia and New Zealand have banned Brazilian beef," Mr Doyle demanded.
"Consumers must be fully assured that the beef they are eating is 100pc safe and 100pc traceable. Otherwise public health concerns and a lack of confidence will undermine beef sales by all producers, including Irish [producers]," Mr Doyle claimed.
"Fine Gael believes that the EU should place a complete ban on all Brazilian beef coming into the EU until such time as Brazilian beef imports meet EU standards," said the Wicklow TD.
Political pressure for action on the issue has increased since the powerful Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee of the European Parliament supported a ban on beef imports from Brazil last week.
A written declaration from MEPs, which was co-authored by Fine Gael's Mairead McGuinness and British MEP Neil Parish, also called for a ban until such time as concerns about food safety standards were addressed.
Meanwhile, ICSA president Malcolm Thompson has slammed the admission by the EU's Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) that cattle which are destined for the EU market can be sourced from Brazilian regions which are not free of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).
"ICSA is deeply disturbed by the FVO admission that cattle can be freely transported from the FMD banned regions to the EU eligible regions provided that they are tagged for just 90 days and resident on the finishing farm for just 42 days," Mr Thompson stated.
"It is also unacceptable that there are such deficiencies in residue testing and veterinary medicine and other substance controls in Brazil. It's no wonder that the US, Australia and South Korea won't accept Brazilian beef," he said.
- DECLAN O'BRIEN
