Welsh farming leader demands action over Brazilian meat imports

Mark Mansfield

Welsh farming leaders have joined calls for an urgent ban on Brazilian meat imports, warning that failure to act could put public health and domestic producers at risk.

NFU Cymru president Abi Reader is among the leaders of the UK’s four main farming unions who have written to Defra Secretary Dame Angela Eagle demanding restrictions matching those due to come into force across the EU and a number of European Economic Area countries next week.

The intervention follows lobbying by NFU Cymru, which raised concerns about Brazilian imports with Wales Office Minister Anna McMorrin on August 20 and has also briefed Welsh MPs, including members of the Welsh Affairs Committee.

The unions want the UK Government to prohibit imports of Brazilian products of animal origin, including beef and poultry, from September 3 until Brazil can demonstrate that meat exported to Great Britain meets required standards.

Their concerns centre on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) after Brazil was unable to demonstrate compliance with EU rules designed to limit the development of antibiotic-resistant infections.

The EU announced in May that Brazil would be removed from the list of countries authorised to export products of animal origin under the rules.

Antibiotics for growth promotion have been banned in the UK and EU since 2006. The farming unions say UK agriculture has reduced antibiotic use by almost 60% since 2014, while use of antibiotics considered critically important to human health has fallen by 83%.

They fear Britain could now become a destination for Brazilian beef and poultry displaced from European markets when the restrictions take effect.

The unions also raised concerns that consumers may be unaware they are eating Brazilian meat because much of it is supplied to the food service sector, where country-of-origin labelling is not required.

Risks

In a joint statement, the four union presidents said: “Ensuring the health and safety of the nation is a core responsibility of any government and the UK has long recognised the risks posed by AMR. UK farmers have worked hard to cut antibiotic use and maintain some of the highest production standards in the world – we should demand the same of our imported food.

“Failure to act will not only expose the nation to a public health risk, but damage consumer confidence in beef and poultry as a whole. Combined with the additional complications it would cause trading with our farming colleagues in Northern Ireland and the very real threat of Brazilian meat being diverted onto the GB market, it would only pile further pressure on producers here at home.

“The absence of any government response is unacceptable, particularly when there is a direct risk to public health and credible reports of significant disruption across the GB supply chain.

“We have less than a week until the bans in the EU and EEA countries come into force. The UK government must take action now to protect the British public from the health risks posed by antimicrobial resistance, maintain public trust in our food system, and show our farmers it backs homegrown food production.”

The letter was also signed by NFU president Tom Bradshaw, NFU Scotland president Andrew Connon and Ulster Farmers’ Union president John McLenaghan.

Ban

Mr Bradshaw first raised the issue with Dame Angela during a meeting on July 28, shortly after she became Defra Secretary.

The four unions are calling for a ban on all Brazilian products of animal origin from September 3 until the country can demonstrate that meat exported to Great Britain is being produced responsibly.

They also want an in-person audit of Brazilian production and traceability systems, increased checks and sampling of imports for prohibited residues, and the establishment of UK-wide core production standards applying equally to domestically produced and imported food.

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