The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has highlighted the importance of securing trade deals which uphold the high standards of British food production after some of Brazil’s biggest meat processors were accused of selling rotten beef and poultry.
According to the NFU, Britain has one of the safest and most traceable food systems of any country in the world.
Post-Brexit, NFU says that it is vital that trade deals involving the importing of food products from other countries, such as Brazil, do not undermine this.
NFU president Meurig Raymond said: “Trade is an incredibly important issue for the future of British food in this country and for the people who produce it.
“News that the world’s largest red meat exporter could be involved in exporting rotten meat shows how important it is to have a secure and safe source of food in the UK.
“We have some of the highest animal welfare and environmental standards in the world. Food produced in this country is traceable and how it’s produced is independently audited by assured schemes like the Red Tractor.
“Trade agreements with countries across the globe must be balanced – with the same conditions applying to food imports and exports. Protecting the standards adhered to by British farmers and the transparency across the supply chain is essential for the public who want to buy safe and traceable food.
“Independent surveys show that 86% of shoppers want to buy more British food. This demand can be met by Britain’s farmers. But any trade deal entered into post-Brexit must ensure farming can be profitable, competitive and productive.”
The Brazilian Beef Exporters Association (ABIEC - - Associação Brasileira das Indústrias Exportadoras de Carne) has declared that none of its 29 member-companies’ beef plants have been named in the scandal.
ABIEC has emphasized that the cases made public come from isolated incidents that do not represent Brazil’s enormous beef production chain.
A spokesperson said: “ABIEC's members follow the strictest domestic and international rules and standards for beef, whether intended for the domestic market or for the more than 133 countries to which we export. Brazil is the world's largest beef exporter and is recognized for the quality and health status of its product, which is inspected by the Brazil's competent authorities as well as the Sanitary Authorities of those countries that import Brazilian beef.
“ABIEC emphasises that the cases recently made public in Operation Carne Fraca are isolated incidents that do not represent Brazil's enormous beef production chain.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
