Brazilian beef infected with mad cow disease

The beginning of 2013 marked a drastic shift in Brazilian beef exports to Chile and Peru, due to an unexpected case of mad cow disease identified last month in rural Brazil.   According to a January 2 statement by Brazilian Secretary of Foreign Trade Tatiana Prazeres,  Brazil will have to make an appeal to the World Trade Organization over suspension of imports of beef from Brazil. Said Prazeres, “There is no basis for these decisions in terms of animal health and the government is considering to take further actions.” Brazil is the largest producer of beef products in the World.

 

In addition to regional trade partners, Brazi exported in 2011 over 109,000 tons of beef products to European Union countries, while on the other hand, Russia is the largest importer of Brazilian beef: more than 237,000 tons imported in 2011.

 

Chile is the largest importer of Brazilian beef to suspend its beef transactions.  According to the Brazilian Agriculture Ministry, throughout 2012, Chile has imported more than 62,000 tons of beef products from Brazil. Other countries such as China, Japan, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Jordan have also banned beef exports from Brazil, immediately after the announcement by the World Animal Health Organization, which reported that a cow that died in 2010 had been diagonosed as having mad cow disease.  

 

According to  Brazilian daily ”O Globo,”  Peru has also decided to suspend beef imports from Brazil for the same reasons.