In Brazil, Anger Over European Ban of Beef Imports
By ANDREW DOWNIE
Published: February 5, 2008
SÃO PAULO, Brazil — A decision by the European Union to ban Brazilian beef imports is “unjustifiable and arbitrary” and could result in shortages and higher prices for European consumers, officials and agricultural specialists say.
Concerned that the meat could pose health risks, the Europeans banned all Brazilian beef imports last week. European nations are still alert to fears over mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth disease, and contend that Brazil, the world’s largest beef exporter, does not have adequate health and traceability systems in place from field to fork.
Brazilian ranchers denied that and proposed that imports be allowed from 2,600 holdings where they said procedures were adequate. The Europeans rejected that compromise and imposed a blanket ban. A delegation is to visit Brazil later this month to further review Brazilian practices.
The restrictions were the latest in a long-running dispute between the European Union and Brazil and evoked predictable anger from Brazilian producers.
The head of the Brazilian Association of Meat Exporters called the measures “abusive sanitary protectionism” and said that herders in Europe simply wanted to eliminate Brazilian competition.
Around 90 percent of Brazilian beef cattle graze freely and that, combined with advanced technology used to raise and fatten cattle, means each that kilogram of Brazilian beef — 2.2 pounds — costs less than $1 to produce. That is almost half the cost in Australia and the United States and a third of the cost in Ireland, the Brazilian association said.