Brazilian beef ban essential - Allister
07 June 2007
Jim Allister MEP has called for a ban on imports of Brazilian beef after investigators found the use of illegal growth hormones and the illegal removal of traceability tags.
An investigation in Brazil by the Irish Farmers Association found that beef could have been imported from restricted areas with foot and mouth disease.
Mr Allister said:-
"It is intolerable that while EU beef is subject to the most stringent of tests, we can have floods of imports from Brazil where traceability is largely non-existent, tagging can be delayed to weeks before slaughter, illegal growth hormones are in widespread use and generally controls are alarmingly week. Even within those states where foot and mouth is endemic, it seems cattle are sold freely across state borders and then sold to the EU as "clean beef".
If even a fraction of what was found in the IFA visit were true it would warrant an immediate ban. To date the EU response has been pitifully weak. The USA, on the other hand, has been to totally ban on all fresh beef imports from Brazil.
In light of the IFA report I have drawn its findings to the Commission's attention and demanded to know what action they intend to take."
