An EU food safety audit carried out at Brazilian beef factories has found that systems exist that could provide for “reliable export certification” by Brazilian authorities operating at processing level “in principle”.
Particularly noteworthy in the context of the findings is that these inspections did not assess Brazil's controls on “pharmacologically active substances, pesticides and contaminants and on [the] administration of antimicrobial medicinal products”.
It is these areas that are the root cause of Brazilian meats' current import ban from EU markets.
Systems
The audit was carried out by the European Commission between 27 April and 20 May this year, with the inspectors reporting that animal identification and movement controls are “properly implemented” and provide assurances that animals entering the EU production chain come from farms eligible to export to the EU in the factory premises visited.
Authorities’ checks at factories are comprehensive and generally effective at identifying non-compliances, the final audit report said.
The EU auditors noted that “officials have the power for taking enforcement actions in cases where non-compliances are detected” during inspections of beef factories in Brazil and claims that “measures are in place for avoiding conflict of interest”.
They stated further that approval to export to the EU can only be granted under the Brazilian system if the results of the on-the-spot checks by authorities there are satisfactory.
Factories visited
The audit team found that the factories visited were “broadly compliant with EU requirements regarding sanitary conditions and hygiene practices”.
Some non-compliances were detected with the maintenance of premises, such as ceilings and floors that were “not maintained in a sound condition and their surfaces were not easy to clean and disinfect”.
In one processing plant, these “deficiencies” were witnessed in the deboning room and in another, they were in the slaughter hall above exposed carcasses.
The auditors said that “in most cases” the factories had done temporary repairs without carrying out full repair works, as repainted rusted metal surfaces and floors patched up with plaster were observed.
The Commission inspectors said that procedures were in place in all premises visited to segregate EU export-eligible and non-EU export-eligible animals and carcasses.
At two factories, it was noticed that carcases were marked with a declaration as fit for human consumption but had illegible ink markings and Brazilian officials had to order immediate corrective action.
Furthermore, the auditors recommended that Brazilian authorities take action to correct weaknesses around the controls in place to verify that factories using lactic acid to reduce microbiological surface contamination on carcasses comply with EU rules.
Banned imports
While the audit report generally read positive from the Brazilian beef industry's point of view, the audit did not assess the issues that resulted in Brazilian meat and animal products, including beef, being banned from EU markets since September.
The audit covered the system of factory and processing checks administered by Brazilian authorities, while the ban stems from EU concerns on the misuse of antimicrobials - a farm-level issue.
It has also been clarified that a country may only resume exporting meat to the EU if a compliant system was in place before animals from which meat originated had been born.
This means that it will take around two years after the establishment of farm-level controls that satisfy EU auditors before beef exports to the EU can take off again.
