Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Supply and Livestock (MAPA) has temporarily suspended the export of BRF’s poultry products to the EU following the company’s involvement in the ‘carne fraca’ food safety scandal.
The ruling will apply to all BRF poultry products produced for export from 16 March. However, any BRF products which have already been exported to the EU before this date are still suitable for consumption and sold without restriction.
10 of BRF’s 35 production facilities will be affected by this verdict, according to the company.
BRF will send representatives to Brussels to clarify the measures in a bid to have the measures lifted.
In a statement, BRF’s chief financial and investor relations officer Lorival Nogueira Luz Jr said: “The Company reiterates that it has been keeping close interactions with local and international authorities, furnishing all necessary explanations that aims to certify the quality and safety of its products and preserve the commercial relationship with its clients and consumers.”
The ‘carne fraca’ scandal has led to a year-long investigation, following allegations that employees from some Brazilian meat producers such as BRF bribed health officials to allow unsafe meat to be exported overseas.
Earlier this month, Brazilian authorities arrested BRF’s former CEO Pedro de Andrade Faria and other former BRF officials, alleging that BRF officials were aware that levels of salmonella in some of the company’s meat products exceeded regulatory limits.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2023
