Brazil backtracks over beef
Having referred to the EU’s decision to ban Brazilian beef as “unjustifiable” and “arbitrary” (see www.leatherbiz.com February 11, 2008) the South American country’s Ministry of Agriculture may be forced to eat its words if the latest reports are anything to go by.
According to media sources, having reacted so angrily towards the implementation of a ban, the ministry has now admitted that some Brazilian beef exported to the EU had not in fact undergone proper inspection and therefore may not have met the required standards. This was said to be the result of a government decision in 1995, when it agreed to commit to standards for EU exports that it was not capable of fulfilling. The ministry also still maintains that the current ban is politically motivated in order to protect European cattle breeders.
