MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Limited reopening of EU market for Brazilian beef

The European Union said Friday it will allow some Brazilian farms to export beef to Europe again, ending a month long freeze over animal disease concerns. A total of 106 farms meet EU health standards, thus reopening trade between Brazil, the world's leading beef exporter, and its main market in Europe.

EU officials last January 31 imposed tighter rules which monitor cattle from the farm and claimed Brazil had not done enough to comply with the new regulations. Several regions of Brazil have recurrent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease and now livestock is traced and identified with each farm. "Now we have a positive list of holdings, and Brazil can export to the European Union from these particular holdings" said spokeswoman Nina Papadoulaki. When the ban Brazil warned the EU that it could file a complaint to the World Trade Organization claiming that the animal disease rules were an unfair barrier to free trade. In 2006 Brazil exported 327.000 tons of beef, worth 1.4 billion US dollars to the EU. EU banned imports from three Brazilian states because of the presence of FAM. Laast November European veterinary experts signaled a number of "serious and repeated deficiencies" in the way Brazil tracks livestock destined for Europe. EU demands cattle must be disease-free and located in a FAM free state 90 days before slaughter if the meat is to be exported to the EU. The slaughter must be in a facility approved by the EU, and only matured and de-boned meat is allowed for export. Europe is a major market for Brazilian top beef exporters Marfrig, Minerva and Friboi, owned by JBS. The EU ban worried them, with Marfrig saying it would expand output at plants in neighboring Argentina and Uruguay.