Brazil to halt beef exports to China after mad cow disease case
SAO PAULO, Feb 22 (Reuters) – Brazil’s beef exports to China will be halted starting Thursday after a case of mad cow disease was confirmed in the northern state of Para, the country’s agriculture and livestock ministry has said.
The suspension is part of an animal health pact previously agreed between China and Brazil and is expected to be temporary. It is a blow to Brazilian farmers, as China is the main destination for Brazil’s beef exports.
“All measures are being taken immediately at each stage of the investigation and the matter is being handled with total transparency to guarantee Brazilian and global consumers the recognized quality of our meat,” said Minister Carlos Favaro.
A case of the disease, formally called bovine spongiform encephalitis, was confirmed earlier by Para’s agricultural defense agency.
“The symptomatology indicates that it is the atypical form of the disease, which appears spontaneously in nature, causing no risk of dissemination to the herd and to humans,” the agency said in a statement.
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