EU has different standards for Irish and Brazilian suppliers
That is clear from every report of inspections by the EU’s Food and Veterinary Office of disease control measures, livestock management and beef traceability in Brazil — including the latest report published last week.
Compliance procedures to ensure quality and traceability of food produced on Irish farms has added considerably to the farmer’s cost of production.
At the same time, the European Commission has been allowing producers in Brazil to compete with Irish farmers while working under an entirely different and much cheaper set of food safety compliance and control standards.
Some EU member states are reluctant to support a ban on beef imports from Brazil because they want cheap food. So Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan may have to start more parochially by insisting on an Irish ban for very legitimate reasons, and mustering as much support as possible from other countries for an overall unified decision.
