Source: Anna Flavia Rochas, MEATINGPLACE, 4/18/18



Brazil's government is preparing to question European restrictions to Brazilian poultry imports at the World Trade Organization (WTO), ahead of an expected European Union (EU) embargo on poultry meat exports from BRF S.A. and other processing plants, Minister of Agriculture Blairo Maggi said Tuesday.

The EU is expected to officially cancel export permits for BRF's poultry processing plants in Brazil this week, following news of a food safety probe revealing alleged participation of company employees in defrauding lab results linked to the presence of salmonella.

Other companies owning poultry plants in Brazil may also be affected, Maggi said in a press conference, adding that the Brazilian government doesn't know which other plants could be suspended.

Brazil's minister alleges that the EU restrictions are not motivated by sanitary issues, and are aimed at reducing market access to Brazilian poultry.

BRF had its exports to the EU temporarily suspended by the Brazilian government after news of the food sanitary probe broke in March, as a cautionary measure to avoid the cancellation of export permits while negotiating with European authorities.

The Brazilian government and poultry industry argue that the investigations were related to the presence of one type of salmonella (salmonella spp.) which does not pose risks to public health because it's eliminated through cooking.
BRF declined to comment Tuesday on the matter.

Brazil's poultry and pork meat industry association, ABPA, said in a statement that the European blockage is aimed at restricting access to Brazilian salted poultry meat on the continent.

The entity questions EU requirements for salmonella control, which demand salted poultry meats (with 1.2 percent of added salt) to meet screening criteria for 2,600 types of salmonella, while fresh poultry meat should prove absence of two types of the bacteria.

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