Brasília – Peru and Lebanon have announced restrictions on imports of beef from Brazil. This Thursday (3rd), the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture confirmed that the official gazette of the Latin country included a 90-day ban on imports. The Lebanese Embassy in Brasília, the Brazilian capital, reported that purchases of beef from Paraná have been halted indefinitely. The Brazilian government has not been officially notified by either country.
In actuality, the Lebanese decision bears little effect. Although the Middle Eastern country does import beef and livestock from Brazil, none was purchased from Paraná from January to November last year, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.
Peru, in turn, imported US$ 15.63 million worth of Brazilian beef during that period, according to the ministry.
So far, nine countries have placed some sort of restriction on Brazilian beef imports. Aside from Peru and Lebanon, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Africa, Taiwan, Egypt and Chile. Egypt has banned Paraná state livestock purchases, and Chile has banned meat and bone meal imports.
The reason for the import ban was the confirmation that the agent which causes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), aka mad cow disease, was found in a dead animal in Paraná in 2010. The Ministry of Agriculture reported the death to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) on December 7th. The organisation maintained the Brazilian beef rating for the disease as “insignificant.”
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the case was a “non-classical” occurrence of the disease, and therefore poses no threat to consumers. The Brazilian government is submitting test results to the importer countries in order to make it clear that the disease was not manifested.
The Brazilian government is threatening to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) in case the bans are not lifted by March.
*With information from the ANBA Newsroom. Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
