Meat fears keep Brazil trade talks on ice

A UK Government decision to maintain import barriers for Brazilian meat products is holding up progress on a trade deal, according to the team of Brazil’s new president-elect, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Ministers set out plans for an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) with Brazil in February, when Bolsonaro was in power, but progress on negotiations has been slow and is not set to speed up under the new administration.

A member of Lula’s team told The Independent: “In our view, the proposals being made by the UK are unbalanced and unfair in their current form.

“They want access to the financial market, IT and education, yet there are barriers to the import of Brazilian meat products, especially beef. They seem to have EU regulations in place despite Brexit.”

Earlier this year, Farmers Guardian reported that the Brazilian Government was unhappy the UK would not lift its ban on the import of hormone-treated beef, or allow meat packers to benefit from ‘pre-listing’, where exports are approved without the need for inspection.

The EU did have a pre-listing system in place with Brazil, but it was suspended in 2017 after some of the country’s biggest meat processors, including JBS and BRF, were found to be selling rotten beef and poultry.

Farm groups across the UK have welcomed the UK Government’s position.

by Abi Kay / Farmers Guardian