Brazil defends beef after ‘system-wide problem’ prompts U.S. ban

CHICAGO/BRASILIA, (Reuters) - Brazil scrambled to shore up its beef industry’s reputation yesterday after the United States blocked shipments of fresh cuts, saying it found abscesses in the meat and signs of systemic failure of inspections in the world’s largest beef exporter.

Officials in Canada and the European Union also said they had rejected some shipments of Brazilian beef in recent months. Brazil’s government and meat industry said most problems stemmed from vaccinations and were being addressed.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture described repeated import violations involving raw beef from seven Brazilian facilities, indicating a “system-wide problem,” according to a letter seen by Reuters yesterday explaining the reason for Thursday’s ban.

While fresh beef shipments to the United States represent only 1 percent Brazil’s beef exports, the ban there and scrutiny elsewhere threatens to tarnish the country’s powerhouse protein industry, which has suffered a series of recent scandals.

“If you look at the financial aspect, it’s important for the country but the bigger damage is to our image,” said Antonio Camardelli, head of Brazilian meat exporters association Abiec. He said USDA approval for Brazil’s fresh beef, which was only granted last year, was expected to open the door to bigger fresh beef importers such as Japan and South Korea.

“We worked a long time to open the U.S. market because it’s a passport to other markets,” Camardelli said. before Whirlpool acquired Indesit.

The fire has acted as a focal point for anger at local authority funding cuts and, if more buildings are deemed unsafe, the government faces the task of rehousing people within existing social housing facilities which are stretched.

The government said it was urgently conducting tests on some 600 high-rise buildings in England which have exterior cladding, often added to insulate them or improve the external appearance of ageing blocks. Some councils have begun removing the panels.

May, who faced criticism for slow public reaction to the fire, said on Twitter that her thoughts were with the 800 households being evacuated from a group of tower blocks in north London on Friday evening.

Residents complained of first hearing about the evacuation from the media and getting very short notice to leave from city officials going door to door.