21 MARCH 2017

ICSA president Patrick Kent has said he was shocked to hear EU Commission officials admit in the European Parliament that they only found out about the Brazilian meat scandal via press reports.

Mr Kent was in attendance at a European Parliament agriculture committee meeting in Brussels when EU officials made the disclosure.

“This proves that all agricultural trade talks with Mercosur must be abandoned immediately. It is outrageous that we would continue to deal with Brazil when it is apparent that corruption around meat quality standards is endemic. Moreover, the Brazilians have shown that they are negotiating in bad faith when it was left to the press to tell the EU Commission what was going on.”

“ICSA is here in Brussels to insist that Brazil meat imports must stop immediately and that trade talks should stop at once. How can EU farmers be expected to compete with such short cuts and dodgy practices?”

Mr Kent also queried whether we could have any faith in EU controls when it seems that dodgy product has come in. We have repeatedly been told that trade deals were being negotiated on the basis that our health and quality standards were being upheld. It is clear now that this is waffle when the EU is clearly not able to keep up with what they’re up to down in Brazil.”

ENDS