Possible import stop
Brazilian slaughterhouses cheat with meat en masse
Brazil, one of the largest meat exporters in the world, has become embroiled in an international meat scandal. Random samples have shown that Brazilian meat producers have mixed spoiled meat with fresh meat, causing a Salmonella contamination. The EU may therefore ban Brazilian meat.
The authorities have therefore launched a large-scale investigation. According to various sources, the meat producers are accused of treating spoiled meat with chemicals and then mixing it with the fresh meat. JBS, the largest meat producer in the world, is also suspected of fraud. About 1.100 police officers are involved in the investigation. About 20 people involved have already been arrested.
The Brazilian government has said that the nearly 160 countries that import meat from Brazil have little to worry about. Of the more than 4.800 checks that were carried out, suspicious circumstances were found at 21 companies. Only 6 of these companies have actually exported meat in recent months, the government adds. The Brazilians themselves need not worry too much.
It is not known whether the Brazilian government is trying to assuage the allegations in order to keep exports out of danger. Brazilian exporters export meat to countries all over the world, including European countries. The annual meat export usually brings in about 14 billion dollars.
The European Union may stop importing beef and chicken meat if the Brazilian government cannot guarantee that the meat meets European health requirements. That's what EU ambassador to Brazil João Cravinho said in the news on the TV Globo television channel on Sunday evening.
Wouter Job
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