Brazilian meat exports have in any case ground almost to a halt following a police investigation into corruption involving food-sanitation inspectors and accusations that rotten products were sold.
Following the disclosure of the Brazilian scandal, consumers start announcing bans on imports of animal products from the country.
The European Union has asked Brazil to voluntarily suspend all shipments of meat to its member countries to avoid imposing a ban that would take time to lift, but the Brazilian government has not agreed, EU diplomats in Brasilia told Reuters on Thursday.
China, Hong Kong and Japan, respectively the first, second and third top consumers of Brazilian meat, have all already suspended all imports.
Brazil’s government has appealed to the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) members not to impose “arbitrary” bans on the country’s more than $13 billion meat export industry, AFP reported.
The Brazilian government suspended meat shipments from the 21 meat-packing plants under investigation by the federal police, while insisting the quality of Brazilian meat was not in doubt.
Other reports say the growing ban on imports of Brazilian meat has almost brought exports of one of the world’s leading suppliers together with the US to a complete halt.
Officials have been scrambling to contain the damage since police announced the results of the two-year investigation last week.
According to police, the health inspectors involved were bribed to certify meat no longer fit for consumption, while additives were used to mask problems in the produce.
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