Paula Hynes: The heat is coming on Brazilian beef
There is extensive use of antibiotics and hormones in cattle in the South American country, which is the largest exporter of beef in the world.
Brazilian beef is back in the headlines, but it looks like it will be coming off the menus in the EU.
Standards in Brazil are a lot different to the EU when it comes to how animals are raised. There is extensive use of antibiotics and hormones in cattle in the South American country, which is the largest exporter of beef in the world.
Traceability is low compared to the EU, where both the use of these antibiotics and hormones are banned in order to protect food safety.
The EU has worked tirelessly with Brazil to try and ensure they enforce EU standards on any cattle that are raised and slaughtered for beef destined for the EU.
However, time and time again, audits have raised irregularities and, as was flagged earlier this year, Brazilian beef which entered the EU contained traces of hormones and antibiotics, some of which was sold and consumed in Ireland.
My weekly column readers may remember I suggested at the time that the EU give Brazil an ultimatum or exports to the EU would be stopped. A vote this week in the EU has placed Brazil on a list of countries which are not compliant with EU regulations.
The ban will come into effect from September 3, 2026, and will include beef, poultry, aquaculture and honey. The ban will only be lifted once Brazil demonstrates that they are compliant with EU standards.
While it is a welcoming move by the EU, one has to wonder why it took the EU so long to make this decision and, more importantly, why the ban is not with immediate effect. Surely, if these food products are not compliant with EU standards and do not meet food safety standards, they should be banned immediately in the interests of consumer safety within the EU.
The reality is Brazil certainly will not get its act together in a few short months. We have often seen how China will ban imports overnight if it is not happy with health certificates.
This is not the only challenge for Brazilian beef at the moment. The Trump administration is also investigating Brazil’s meat packing industry for potential anti-competitive behaviour.
On May 4, Brooke Rollins stood with acting attorney general Todd Blanche, denouncing the Brazilian meat packer industry for being “affiliated with corruption, but also cartels and, as recently as last week, slave labour”.
The US Cattlemen’s Association has also testified, calling for reforms to address illegal deforestation, corruption and forced labour in Brazil’s beef supply chains.
On April 29, Brazilian prosecutors filed lawsuits against the world’s largest beef packer, JBS, over labour abuses. There are also allegations against seven ranches for holding workers in slave-like conditions over a 10-year period.
It is unclear what move the White House will make against Brazilian beef, as they are between a rock and a hard place.
Currently, they need Brazilian beef on US supermarket shelves as global beef prices have soared and imports from the South American country have doubled, while US beef production is at an all-time low and slow to recover in numbers.
On the other hand, Trump has taken a hard stance on cartels and corruption in South America, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out and the EU needs to keep an eye on any outcome.
EU consumers have been encouraged to purchase Fair Trade produce, so why should beef be any different?
While the ban on Brazilian beef is the right move, some politicians are using this as a way to put a halt to the Mercosur agreement, and these politicians are simply misleading voters.
Mercosur is not just Brazil. It also includes Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The benefits for the EU, and also for Ireland, from the Mercosur agreement are vast.
Ireland is set to double its exports of pharma and chemicals to these countries. Ireland already exports €1.8bn in services, and the deal opens up exclusive, easier access for Irish firms.
Irish whiskey will also benefit as it will become tariff-free and sold at a premium to a potential 270 million consumers. Exports from the EU to Mercosur countries are set to grow by 39% and EU companies can now compete for government contracts in these countries.
Whether it is Cork or Athlone, the thought of further job creation within the pharma sector is surely a plus for voters.
The big threat to the Mercosur agreement was Brazilian beef, but it is clear there is a problem with their beef. Argentina, however, has top-class beef, reared on a predominantly grass-based system where standards are high.
I have eaten Argentinian beef on a number of occasions in restaurants in Paris. The same restaurants prided themselves on the quality of the steaks they were serving and seemed proud to tell the story.
Irish beef has a great story to tell and also low food miles within the EU. Surely we should be targeting customers of South American beef in the EU and letting them know we have the world’s best steak — beef with a great story.
An Italian friend of ours owns an Irish bar in Paris and 50% of his sales are Guinness. If an Italian can sell Guinness in Paris, surely we can sell more Irish steak to the Parisian diner and beyond.
While the heat may be coming on Brazilian beef, there has been a total lack of heat here over the last week, with cold winds blowing every day, which has really affected grass growth.
Walking the grazing paddocks, the purple tips on grass leaves are really noticeable and regrowth on exposed paddocks has been slow.
Thankfully, the forecast does look a little bit more promising, with sunshine in the forecast, but the first half of 2026 is one that farmers will want to forget quickly.
While Becky has been busy show-clipping away from home, we are finally kicking off our show season with a few heifers travelling to Belgooly Show, and we have a new young handler joining us this year, which I will tell you more about in my next article.
