ICSA president Sean McNamara has said he is appalled but not surprised that Brazilian beef coming into the EU has tested positive for banned hormones and that a recall has been issued. “The EU has spent years and billions telling people to eat healthy food and ensuring consumers can trust the safety of what’s on the shelf. What’s the point of all that if they now allow in beef that doesn’t meet even the most basic EU rules? This recall shows clearly that the EU cannot police how beef is produced in Brazil or any other South American country which is why beef must be removed from the Mercosur deal altogether,” he said.

The recall follows banned hormones found in Brazilian beef shipments recently arriving in Europe. The contaminated products were widely distributed across the EU and the UK, including Northern Ireland. 

Mr McNamara said the European Commission cannot knowingly put food on European shelves that would be illegal to produce here. “That is hypocrisy, pure and simple. If the deal is not scrapped altogether, then at the very minimum beef and poultry must be taken out of it completely. If this is what is already slipping through, the EU shouldn’t be allowing any Brazilian beef on our shelves, let alone opening the door to more under Mercosur.” 

He said, “European farmers are doing everything that is asked of them on animal health, on traceability, on food safety, on antimicrobial resistance. None of these are cornerstones of South American beef production, and to say otherwise is a joke. The Commission cannot just ignore this reality. They are obliged at this point to protect consumers, protect public health, and protect the family farms that uphold these standards every day. That has to come before any trade deal.”

 Mr McNamara said ICSA will not stand by while the Commission turns a blind eye to imports produced under conditions that would shut an Irish farmer down overnight.