madam president i too want to raise serious concerns about the safety and suitability of brazilian beef exports
unregulated meat is imported from thousands of miles away at the expense of native farmers
the meat brings with it the risk of contamination such as foot-and-mouth disease as we have heard tonight
the lack of strict regulation in brazil means exporters also have an unfair competitive advantage over european farmers
the extent of hypocrisy on the matter of foreign beef exportations is made even more apparent in the context of climate change discussions
whilst we are told we must commit to an ambitious climate change agenda the eu turns a blind eye to the fact that the brazilian beef export industry is responsible for eighty of deforestation in the amazon rainforest
before a ban in two thousand and seven thirty zero premises in brazil exported beef to the eu
today only twelve of those exports are authorised but more and more premises are approved for eu exportation daily
around one hundred farms per month are given that right
at the start of this issue the food and veterinary office reported significant problems in brazil with the certification of farms and traceability of livestock
there are grave concerns about unidentified cattle in slaughterhouses
it is also widely held that many inspectors have strong connections with or even own the farms being granted authority to export beef
european farmers must abide by rules put in place for the safety of the consumer
the fact that their foreign counterparts do not work under the same regulations gives overseas exporters an unfair competitive advantage
the uk beef industry faces real problems from producers outside the eu who can mass export meat at much lower prices
some of the world's largest retailers such as carrefour and wal-mart have already banned brazilian beef on the grounds of the deforestation the industry is responsible for
each year an area in the amazon the size of belgium is cleared for the lucrative beef export industry
it is estimated that cattle rearing is responsible for eighty of illegal deforestation
it amazes me how there is one set of rules for british and european farmers and another for farmers in brazil
which agricultural industry does the eu and the commission actually support
