The response of the European Commission to IFA charges that unacceptable controls exist in Brazil over it’s beef production revealed a greater concern to pander to a significant WTO member rather than protection of Irish and other EU consumers.
This was stated by Independent MEP Marian Harkin following a presentation by the IFA to the European Parliament Agriculture Committee in Brussels on Monday July 16th.
She said “The IFA findings in Brazil revealed totally unacceptable standards and controls. I, like many others assumed that Brazilian beef production destined for export to the E.U. was based on equivalent standards as apply in Ireland and the E.U. In the rebuttal from the Commission to the I.F.A. document they state:“it is a normal procedure and unobjectionable from the EU point of view, to move animals between states restricted (non-EU approved) and not restricted (EU approved states)”. What this means in reality is: the E.U. Commission is happy with the situation whereby animals from foot and mouth restricted states can move to an unrestricted state and as long as they spend 90 days in that state they are then eligible for export to the E.U. The IFA discovered that the 90 day requirement is not always adhered to. The evidence of boxes of tags on farms and animals with tags missing from their ears clearly shows this.
“It is no wonder farmers are outraged at what they see happening. European farmers are collapsing under layers of red tape, new regulations, traceability from farm to fork etc and then they realise that the EU Commission is prepared to accept such double standards from Brazil.
“All of this of course is inextricably bound up with W.T.O. negotiations and it is absolutely crucial that non-trade issues such as widely different production regulations, animal welfare, environmental degradation etc are brought onto the W.T.O. agenda.
“Brazil is a major player in the W.T.O. negotiations and I believe that the attitude of Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson is to concede whatever is necessary to obtain a deal”, Marian Harkin said. Further concessions on access to EU markets for agricultural product and coupled with a less than equivalent standard from Brazilian beef exporters could be part of the Mandelson strategy to secure a W.T.O. deal, she stressed.
