Nicholson reiterates call for EU ban on imports of Brazilian Beef
Following publication of the Northern Ireland red meat industry taskforce report today, Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has reiterated his call for imports of Brazilian beef to the EU to be banned immediately.
In a statement Mr Nicholson said,
“I welcome the publication of this report today and any action taken by key stakeholders within the agriculture industry to ensure the sustainability of our beef and lamb farmers. However, many farmers will know that we have been down this road before with many false starts and dawns over the years. What our farmers need to see now is delivery on the issues raised by this report.
“Many of the findings contained in this report prove, once again, the need for the European Commission to take urgent steps to ban imports of Brazilian beef to the EU because, time after time, it has been proven to be of a sub – standard nature.
“Northern Ireland’s farmers must comply with the high standards laid down by the EU in terms of health, food safety and traceability so why shouldn’t imports coming into the EU from other countries do the same? The reality is that if Brazilian beef imports are continued to be allowed into the EU then more and more farmers in Northern Ireland and across Europe risk being put out of business. With the cost of production rising, it is hard to see how our farmers can compete with these cheap imports.”