Ambassador: Brazil meat products are safe

REFERRING to the report “Brazil meat scandal deepens as China, EU, Chile bar imports”, ( The Star, March 22), please allow me to bring to your attention some aspects of the matter that I believe should be taken into account in order to properly understand the case.

On March 17, the Brazilian Federal Police carried out an operation based on extensive investigations into possible frauds in the meat industry.

These investigations had been conducted over the last two years with rigour and free from any intervention.

Out of 4,837 establishments subject to federal inspection, only 21 are allegedly involved in irregu- larities. It should be emphasised that none of the establishments involved in the denunciations exports to Malaysia.

As one of the largest meat exporters in the world, Brazil has developed a highly reliable sanitary control system, attested by the fact that it is allowed to export to over 150 countries which are constantly sending technical missions to verify the sanitary conditions of the production.

The Federal Police investigations are part of the many instances of control that the Brazilian State has conducted to ensure the quality and safety of products sent to the market.

This operation actually demonstrates that this quality control sys- tem is working, as 99.8% of Brazilian establishments are not involved in reported irregularities. The Brazilian government is handling this matter with total transparency and providing all the information that foreign authorities may need in this regard.

The meat products exported by Brazil are recognised for their high quality and for being totally safe for consumption, as the health inspections carried out by both Brazilian and foreign technical authorities attest.

My family and I consume Brazilian meat here in Malaysia every day.