EU food watchdog: Pork imports from Brazil not likely soon
Brazil still has a long way to go in traceability issues before it can sell pork in the European Union. That was the conclusion of the EU’s Food and Veterinary Office after an inspection journey to Brazil.
Dutch agricultural newspaper Agrarisch Dagblad reports that especially the use of growth promoter ractopamine and the abundant use of antibiotics are major obstacles for admission to the European markets. In the European Union, this hormone is banned from use in pigs.
To be able to ship pork to the EU, the Brazilian government will have to make a stronger distinction between pork with and without the hormone, as for the EU market there simply has to be a guarantee the hormone wasn’t used.
Apart from ractopamine, Brazil has a high usage of antibiotics in pork production – which is not applauded by the FVO. The office therefore expects Brazil will not enter the European market within a short timeframe.
Related websites:
• Agrarisch Dagblad (in Dutch)
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