Brazil defends beef after US ban

US blocked shipments of fresh cuts citing failure of inspections in the world’s largest beef exporter

BRASILIA/ CHICAGO: Brazil scrambled to shore up its beef industry’s reputation on Friday after the US blocked shipments of fresh cuts, saying it found abscesses in the meat and signs of systemic failure of inspections in the world’s largest beef exporter. Officials in Canada and the EU also said they had rejected some shipments of Brazilian beef in recent months. Brazil’s government and meat industry said most problems stemmed from vaccinations and were being addressed. While fresh beef shipments to the US represent only 1% of Brazil’s beef exports, the ban there and scrutiny elsewhere threatens to tarnish the country’s powerhouse protein industry, which has suffered a series of recent scandals. “If you look at the financial aspect, it’s important for the country but the bigger damage is to our image,” said Antonio Camardelli, head of Brazilian meat exporters association Abiec.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2017.

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