São Paulo – In an initiative of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, officials from the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply convened this Wednesday (22), in Brasília with delegates from the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brazil to provide clarifications regarding the quality of beef produced and exported from Brazil, in the wake of operation Carne Fraca, launched by Federal Police last Friday.
“We disclosed technical information, showing that up until this point, as far as the Ministry is concerned, there is no indication whatsoever of any risks regarding certification of food products sold either domestically or to other countries,” the Ministry’s International Relations secretary, Odilson Luiz Ribeiro e Silva, told ANBA.
He also said the problems that were detected concern the conduct of some Ministry officials who conveyed “inside information” to private companies. “Generalizations cannot be made. There’s corruption in every country,” said Silva, stressing that only 33 public servants are under probe, out of a total of 11,000.
The secretary remarked that there was a misunderstanding when the operation was made public. “When they mentioned the cardboard, they mistook packaging for ingredients. They also made mention of acid, but it’s simply ascorbic acid, vitamin C. it’s not hazardous to public health. It’s a product that is used in the industry, especially when it comes to sausage production,” he explained.
The operation raised suspicions that cardboard was being used in processed items, and that acid was being used to mask the smell and color of expired items by some of the meat packers under probe. “It is a very topical problem,” Silva said, adding that only 21 companies are under investigation, whereas there are over 4,800 industry players in Brazil.
“As far as sanitation and quality is concerned, nothing can supersede the Ministry’s certification. There is absolutely no evidence of any health hazards thus far,” he said. Silva claimed that the issue has taken on international proportions as a result of a “major media operation.”
According to the secretary, no Arab country has ceased to import Brazilian beef and poultry so far. “We haven’t received any official communications,” he asserted. “Under international regulations, no measures can be taken unless they’re based on technical grounds, and there are no grounds for a ban, because there are no sanitation hazards,” he said.
The Ministry handed over technical documentation to the diplomats and vowed to keep them posted on any developments. “Most of the Council members were at the meeting, and the explanations were satisfactory,” said the dean of the Council of Arab Ambassadors and ambassador of Palestine, Ibrahim Alzeben.
Apart from him, also attending the meeting were diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, Iraq, Morocco, Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon, Sudan and Libya. “There was a debate and questions were asked. The secretary handed out a document confirming that the food products pose no health hazards,” said Alzeben.
He confirmed that none of the bloc’s countries have suspended imports from Brazil. “There’s an increase in inspection, which is just logical, normal, since it regards the food safety of citizens,” said the diplomat.
For the dean, the meeting was positive. “It’s a reflection of the importance we give to this topic and the excellent relations we have with Brazil. It was a message of solidarity to Brazil,” he said. The ambassadors are expecting the Brazilian government to soon present further information to completely clarify the case.
Communication
The opening of a direct communication channel between the Ministry and the Arab ambassadors was seen as one of the strongest achievements of the meeting. “It’s the role of the Arab Chamber to promote this integration, creating this direct connection,” said Arab Chamber president Rubens Hannun, who also attended the meeting.
According to him, the ministry pledged to keep the Council and the embassies constantly updated on the case. The Chamber made a commitment to translate the documents to the Arabs and will pass them on to the diplomatic representations. “We didn’t have this [direct] connection, the ambassadors were passing on [to the governments] the information that was published by the media”, said secretary Silva.
According to Hannun, the Arab Chamber suggested the meeting since it had committed to search for clarifications on the issue to keep its members and partners well informed.
Also attending the meeting was the Arab Chamber’s International Relations vice president, ambassador Osmar Chohfi and CEO Michel Alaby. “The meeting was very important since it allowed the Ministry to pass on to the Council first-hand, detailed information on the actions of the authorities, the investigation and the importance of the international market, specially the Arab one, to assure there’s no doubt about the quality and safety of the meats that Brazil exports,” pointed out Chohfi.
Just as Hannun, he stressed that an “important communication channel” was opened. “And the Arab Chamber played a significant role in creating this channel,” he said. “They (the ambassadors) were satisfied with the information received and for the Ministry the meeting was very important since Arab countries are one of Brazil’s main markets,” he added.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum and Sérgio Kakitani