Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 5/21/10

JBS S.A. said it has halted exports of beef to the United States from a plant in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo after USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service detected excess amounts of Ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug used to de-worm live animals, in recent shipments.

Earlier this week, FSIS announced in a recall notice that since March 15 samples taken from cooked beef products made by a plant the agency identified only as "Brasil 337 S.I.F." have resulted in a dozen instances in which Ivermectin levels exceeded FDA's limit of 10 parts per billion in beef muscle. The discovery prompted Chicago-based Sampco Inc. to recall 87,000 pounds of beef products imported from that facility, which is JBS' plant in Lins, Sao Paulo, Brazil, FSIS spokesman Neil Gaffney confirmed to Meatingplace.

JBS said in a statement it will stop shipments from its Lins plant until company officials determine how product containing excess Ivermectin entered the supply.

The company said other JBS plants would continue to ship to the United States during its investigation, and that products made at the Lins plant would continue to be exported to other markets.

(Update changes reflect the addition of JBS' own statement.)

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