Call for 'rigorous verification' before Brazilian beef imports resume
Macra said the suspension of Brazilian beef, poultry and other animal product imports into the EU is "a significant step towards protecting a level playing field for Irish and European farmers".
The suspension, which came into force yesterday (Thursday, September 3), follows concerns regarding Brazil's compliance with EU rules on the use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals.
In May, member states voted to exclude Brazil from an updated list of third countries authorised to export food-producing animals and animal products to the EU.
In order to be reincluded on this list, the commission said Brazil must ensure compliance with EU requirements on the use of antimicrobials for the entire lifetime of the animals that the exported products originate from.
Macra president Josephine O'Neill said the suspension "must be more than a temporary measure" and called for "rigorous verification of compliance" before Brazilian beef exports to the EU are permitted to resume.
Brazil
O'Neill said the decision to suspend Brazilian beef imports is "a welcome and significant development for Irish agriculture".
She said the move was of particular importance for young farmers "who are trying to build viable businesses while meeting some of the highest food safety, animal health, traceability and environmental standards in the world".
"This decision reinforces why Macra remains firmly opposed to the EU-Mercosur trade agreement.
"There cannot be one rulebook for European farmers and another for imports.
"If Europe sets high standards for its own farmers, those standards must be independently verified and enforced for every product entering the EU market," she said.
The Macra president said the suspension "demonstrates the importance of effective controls and verification systems for imported food products".
"For young farmers, this is fundamentally about fairness and their ability to build viable businesses.
"Irish beef is high-quality, traceable and produced to rigorous European standards.
"If Europe is serious about generational renewal in agriculture, it must protect that level playing field and ensure its trade policy supports, rather than undermines, the next generation of farmers," she said.
