Tory agriculture spokesman calls for Brazilian beef ban

Neil Parish, MEP, called for the ban in a letter to Peter Mandelson, the EU trade Commissioner, Mariann Fischer Boel, agriculture commissioner and Markos Kyprianou, the health commissioner.

Brazil currently exports around 270,000t of bovine meat to the EU - making it the largest exporter of bovine meat to Europe.

Parish is concerned about traceability after a new report from the EU's Food and Veterinary office (FVO) reported ear tagging of cattle sometimes only takes place between 30 and 60 days before the animal is slaughtered.

The report also raises concerns about the use of medicines that are banned from EU meat.

Parish said: "There is no point us having stringent traceability and safety standards for our own farmers when imported meat from Brazil is well below standards.

"The European Commission needs to slap an immediate ban on Brazilian beef, honey, eggs and pig meat. After BSE and Foot and Mouth, the EU has had to ensure meticulous standards and our farmers have had considerable pressures placed upon them."

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---