Irish farmers protest over Brazilian beef
In an ongoing dispute between the EU and the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) over meat production standards in Brazil, approximately 40 members of the IFA have staged a sit-in protest at the European Union (EU) offices in Dublin demanding to see a report on Brazilian beef they claim should have been released some six months ago.
Having previously demanded a ban on Brazilian beef imports into Europe because of the standard of production and the widespread presence of FMD, the IFA now claims that the report, compiled by an EU delegation which visited Brazil in March this year, has been withheld due to the possible discovery of poor production practices.
Reacting to the claims, an EU spokesperson said, “The preparation of this report has followed normal procedure. Contrary to statements by the IFA, there is no question of the Commission departing from the well-established norms of publication of reports covering third countries, of a cover-up or of withholding of information about the contents of the report. These claims by the IFA are simply incorrect.”
